Daniel, Emma, Rupert, & Rachel
by everdeenx
Summary: She realized how stupid she had been. Her uncle was directing the final installment of the Harry Potter films. Which meant Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. They'd all be here. / Rated for shenanigans, lemons, and mild fluffiness.
1. Daniel, Emma, Rupert, & Rachel

**It had all sounded so glamorous.** An entirely different land full of culture, history, and music. She received the call about three weeks ago, that she would be working as her Uncle David's assistant, who was a director working on another legitimate movie. The movie she'd help working on? Well, that was a secret. It had all happened so fast, her biggest dreams were to become a star director, just like her uncle. And now she was in England, straight out of high school and ready to burst into college. Then again, if she became a huge director at the age of eighteen, she wouldn't need to go to college, really. But the chances of that happening were quite slim.

"Ray...Ray, honey, wake up." She could feel her uncle gently nudging her shoulder, not wanting to wake her, but it was time for work.

The girl groaned, sitting up in her bed, eyes barely open. She put a hand to her forehead and looked up as her uncle just shook his head. David Yates. He was a very round, jolly sort of man, portly, with balding gray hair. He was forty-seven years of age. She mumbled a great deal of words in protest, but David wasn't listening.

"Sorry, didn't catch that. David muttered in his rich English accent, Ray frowning. Her uncle was British, she understood him perfectly, but sometimes it didn't go so well the other way around. "Come, now, we're leaving in an hour." David said firmly, Ray looking at her watch.

"I can't get ready in an hour!" She protested, David shrugging.

"I wanted to let you sleep in a bit." He said, Ray muttering.

"It's four-thirty." David just smiled and exited the room with as much stealth as he did coming in, shutting the door behind him.

Ray got up and made her way around the bedroom. It was quite a large house for a man who lived alone, but who wouldn't want all that space to themselves? And here she was, just getting used to a cramped apartment with five people living in it at a time. She showered, brushed her teeth, blow-dried her hair and began putting on her make-up. She didn't look a lot like her uncle one bit. She reached about 5'5", maybe 5'6" if you counted her hair, which was a dark brown with bangs cut across the front like Daisy Lowe's. She had hazel, almond-shaped eyes, pouty lips and her body mimicked that of an hourglass quite well. What else would you suspect of an American girl?

"Ray, are you done yet, love?" Her Uncle called from outside the bedroom door. "Almost!" She answered right back, barely in her undies. "Alright, I'll be warming up the car!"

"Ugh..." She grunted, after getting dressed she grabbed her purse and flew down the stairs, into her Uncles' truck and buckling her seat belt. "Ready! Let's go!" She yelled, David just raising his eyebrow at her. He was dressed normally, jeans, shirt, jacket, and a hat. Directors didn't have to dress fancy these days. "Right. It's going to be a long day."

"Are we stopping for coffee?" Ray asked, fiddling with a buckle on her purse. "Of course." David laughed, most of the drive was silent. Except for idle conversation like,

"How do you feel today?"

"Just peachy."

"How's America?"

"We finally got a black president."

"So I heard."

"Mm-hm."

Stuff like that. But there was one question in particular that interested her. "Have you prepared your speech yet?" David asked, handing Ray her Vanilla latte with double shot espresso.

"Speech?" She yipped, hot coffee blistering her tongue and throat.

"It's hot, love!" David cautioned her, after handing it to her, but she didn't care at the moment.

"What speech?" She spat, he never told her about any stupid speech. She thought she would just walk in, look cute for a few weeks, get coffee and doughnuts for her Uncle and be done with it all. Gaining a few experience points in the process and meet new people, perhaps? Right? No one said anything about her having to publicly speak.

"Everyone new to the team gives a speech when they first arrive. You're lucky. Usually we spring it on them." He noted, seeing the disbelief on her face. "I guess." She muttered, blowing on her coffee. "Sorry love? I can't understand you when you mumble." He said, smiling as she stuck her tongue out at him.

When David and his niece arrived at the studio, located somewhere in Warford, Ray looked around wildly to try and get a gist of where they were.

"Are we-" She did a full 360, her Uncle smiling widely. "Where are we going?" She asked, they were on Leavesden Studio. She knew which studio her Uncle worked on, but the movie was a mystery. She didn't know much about the place, from the outside it looked like a large warehouse. It was what was waiting on the inside that worried her - or who. Then she felt sick. But what movie could it be? Who would she meet? Would she become richer from the experience as a whole, or just fetch her Uncle coffee every now and again? She pondered these questions in her head as her Uncle steered her around a corner, only to catch a glimpse at a few faces, a few of them were quite recognizable. Funny. She didn't know anybody from England, except her Uncle.

"Mother-!" Ray cried, as they walked into a studio number 31. "NO! Take me home, now, please!" She whispered in an anxious tone, struggling with her Uncle. She wasn't ready for this. She hadn't expected it. "UNCLE!" She whined, who just laughed and shushed her.

"Shhh! SHHH! You're making a scene!" He laughed at her, and she tried to go dead weight like she saw on those Cops shows back home, but David just held onto her elbows and refused to let her go. She glared at him, and he just smiled, various heads turned in their direction.

"Why? Why, why?" She whimpered, David patting her on the back.

"You'll be all right. How about that speech then?" He asked, putting a hand behind her neck and pushing her over to a crowd of people. She kept her eyes tightly shut, this was all bull, it couldn't be true. She wanted to cry.

'_Okay, okay, okay, okay. Run! No, stay. They'll all make fun of you if you run. They'll laugh if you mess up! RUN! NO, AAGHHHHH!_'

As the war inside her head raged on, she realized how stupid she had been. Her uncle was directing the final installment of the Harry Potter films. Which meant Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. They'd all be here. HERE! Where she was. Were they here now? Oh, God.

"You could have given me a heads up."

"Well, I'm giving you one now."

"Thanks." She growled, people calling over to David from halfway across the room.

"How could you not know? I only directed the last two installments. What were you expecting?" He chuckled, Ray did not find any of this funny.

"I was expecting a low-budget childrens movie or something, _I don't know!_" She hissed, and David scoffed at her.

"Silly girl. Alright, stand up straight, you'll impress people more that way. Speak clearly, and don't use any of that weird 'slang' like you usually do." Ray gulped, and opened her eyes, walking next to her uncle with her head tall, eyes straight ahead. She tried not to look anybody in the eyes, David raising his right arm to wave to the other crew members.

"Oi, David! Is this the new meat?" A short, hairy man cried as he eyed Ray, which made her fairly uncomfortable. A few others sized her up as well, giving her the once over. She felt naked. What was she wearing? An adorable green button-up plaid shirt that was rolled up to her elbows, skinny blue jeans and those cute brown cowboy boots she found at a thrift store a few weeks ago. Her breathing eased a bit. Clear plastic bangles decorated her wrists, her ears and fingers glittered with rings and her hair was actually cooperating with her today, which was seldom. Clothes and make-up gave her confidence, as sad as that was.

"No, Richard." David said plainly, not noticing his niece was currently being looked at as if she were a candy bar. "Everyone, this is the new director's assistant, Rachel Alexandria Sweet. Also known as Ray, Rach, or my niece, but there's no need to pull any punches with this one; She's a big girl." Quite a few people laughed at David's little joke, Ray just glared at him.

'_That wasn't even funny..._' She thought, she couldn't tell if they were just being suck-ups, or if English humor was drier than a raisin.

"Speech!" Someone cried, whom it was, Ray couldn't see their face, and then a bunch of hands grabbed her and she shouted out in protest.

'_Crap._' She thought to herself, David patting her on the shoulder.

"SPEECH! SPEECH!" They all chanted, and Ray was set on top of some random crate. She sighed as David just smirked; She hated him right now.

"Okay, OKAY!" Ray cried, and the crowd of rowdy Englishmen settled to listen to her speak. Quite a few people had gathered around, she wouldn't be surprised if it was the whole cast and crew. She cleared her throat, trying to think quickly before saying anything; She wanted to seem intelligent, not slip in a bunch of "ums" and "likes" whilst she was talking, which is what she usually did. She took her time with her words and spoke slowly, when she was utterly nervous, she touched her hair, so she clasped her hands together to keep her from doing so.

"Well, first off, I realize I probably sound like I stepped straight out of a western film, but that's okay..." She spoke, the loudness of her voice shocked her, as if there were someone behind her speaking, she was only lip-syncing. She let her eyes swoop over the crowd once, her stomach turning over multiple times.

"I'd rather sound like a cowboy than a chimney sweep any day." She said, setting her hands on her hips, a few squeals and hoots at this. It was a bold remark, considering she was in a room of English people, but it was well-received. "But seriously, I'm really honored to be working here, at Studio 31, with you all." She swallowed the lump in her throat, hoping they weren't judging all Americans based off of her actions and appearance. She refused to let her eyes linger on anyone's face for too long, she's seen a few way-too familiar faces in there and it made her heart race. Yup. They really were all here.

"I hope I get the chance to become great friends with each and every one of you, and...I really hope I'll be able to take a few priceless memories with me back to America." She finished, what else could she say? She liked being liked, and to be liked by these people would be a reward in itself.


	2. Bone Machine

**Day one seemed to be going pretty well.** After the speech, everyone scattered and began working on their individual jobs. David gave Ray a tour of the studio, showed her where they would be shooting what scenes, the hair and make-up department, and they even passed the dressing rooms.

"Got it so far?" David asked, and Ray nodded, her muscles tense. "I bet you'd like to know where Daniel's dressing room is." David said nonchalantly, but grinned as Ray shook her head vigorously. "Please, no. When do we start?" Ray asked as they stood on set. "Right after you go fetch two copies of the script and a powdered doughnut, thanks." David pat her on the back as she wore a grim expression. "Where do I get those?" She wondered, and David sat in his director's chair, shaking the hands of the producer, screenwriters and a few others.

"Gah..." Ray grunted, marching off to find scripts and doughnuts. Wait, she remembered seeing a table with all kinds of junk on it earlier during the tour. She found that successfully, grabbing a napkin and putting a powdered doughnut in it, bumping into the short man who called her "new meat" earlier. "Oh, excuse me." Ray apologized, but he just gave her a nod. "Err... Richard, right?" Ray questioned.

"Aye." Richard replied gruffly.

"Do you know where I can get copies of the scripts?" She asked, and he nodded and led her to a huge pile of scripts on a separate table. "Oh hey, thanks! They just leave them lying around like this?" Ray asked, picking up two. "That they do, missy." He replied, and he just wandered off, Ray returning to her Uncle, who was engaged in what sounded like a very important conversation. "Here you go, Uncle." Ray said, handing him his script and doughnut. He didn't say anything, just stayed glued to the conversation and Ray pulled up a chair on David's opposite side, opening her script to the beginning. "What are you doing?" David asked, Ray looking quite confused.

"Um..."

"Get a clipboard. Oh, and lucky you, you get to do the clapper board." David said, as a board was passed to her. "Great." Ray said, kind of excited, David nodding. "Trust me, it's not that fun after the thirtieth take. All the information will be filled in for you, you just have to get up and do the rest." She glanced down at all the information, nodding. The clapper board was a crucial part of the filming process.

"Got it." Ray said, her Uncle glancing at his watch. "Okay, people, let's GO!" David yelled, Ray jumping a little. "Okay, you know how to do it, right? Just hold it in front of the camera and-"

"I know, Uncle." Ray stated, turning red as a few people around them snickered. She walked over to the camera, her Uncle shaking his head but getting over it quickly. "ALRIGHT, quiet on the set! Everyone on their marks! Annnd, action!" David yelled, as nearly everyone settled and became silent at once. "Scene one, take one, marker." Ray said, snapping the board and removing it quickly and standing next to her Uncle (who handed her a clipboard) to watch the progress.

Ray was awfully anxious for no reason at all, she didn't have to do anything, but the buzzing silence in the room was absolutely smothering. Ray took a quick glance at her clipboard, it was the agenda. Cool. Now she had an idea of what they were actually doing. Right now they were shooting a scene with Death-Eaters. They seemed like truly ominous people standing out there in their hair and make-up. When Helena Bonham Carter stepped into the scene, Ray made a squeaking noise and David merely looked at her. "Sorry." She mouthed, David turning to look back at the scene before them.

She couldn't believe that she was here, with some of the biggest stars in the world, getting to see the process of the last Harry Potter film be made. And SHE was helping. She sat down before she fell over, but as soon as she did, David called cut and she began updating the clapper board. Someone had tripped, and everyone laughed, so that meant they had to re-do the scene. Everyone on stage regained themselves, David calling action, "Scene one, take two, marker." Ray called, snapping the clapper board.

This was great.

After a span of nearly three hours of shooting, and nearly twelve takes later, David called for a thirty-minute break. Making a movie took awfully long, and for an impatient person like Ray, that wasn't a good thing. David warned her if she was going to be his assistant, she'd have to prepare to dedicate nearly all of her time and an estimated eight months of her life to it. She'd be getting paid, of course, as for housing, David insisted she house with someone else, like one of the cast or crew members, but the thought terrified her.

David stood up and stretched, groaning and Ray did the same, but attempting to stand on jelly legs wasn't all that easy. "Come on, let's go for a little walk." David said, Ray placing the marker board and her clipboard on her chair. "I'm right behind you." She muttered, David walking down a hall, past a bunch of rooms with stars on the doors. "Oh, my God. That's Tom Felton's room! And Emma Watson's! And there's..." She heard a lot of shouting, and she thought someone was fighting, but as they neared the room the commotion was coming from, she realized they were singing. David rounded into that room, and Ray followed slowly, peering into the room.

"DAVID!" Everyone shouted, David laughing as everyone cheered and clapped for him. Someone was playing an electric guitar, and strangely, Ray recognized the tune:

_"I make you break, you make me hard, your Irish skin, looks Mexican, our love is rice and beans and horses lard,"_ Honestly, she loved this song.

_"Your bone's got a little machine!"_ Everyone sang loudly, she recognized the person playing the guitar; it was Daniel Radcliffe. She looked at the star on the door and realized this was his dressing room, and she turned red. She wanted to turn around and leave, this was so surreal. They screamed, David grabbing a seat on a nearby couch and everyone sang and laughed, David motioning for her to sit down. Ray couldn't tell if they were drunk, or if they were usually like this. She stepped into the room and instantly felt out of place, but she made her way to sit anyway as everyone shouted, _"You're the bone machine!"_

Someone screamed after that, Ray smiling at her Uncle David exasperatedly and he shrugged. She really liked this song, so she clapped along, with the others, and decided to join in as David bobbed his head from side to side. _"Oh-ohh, oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh!"_

_"Your bone's got a little ma-chine!" _They all were gassed up for no apparent reason, Daniel playing the hell out of his gee-tar. People snorted and clapped and screamed with laughter, it was a lot of fun, really. Where have they been her whole life? When the song was over, and Daniel milked the crap out of the last note, everyone hollered and clapped and hooted. She kept her eyes on Daniel, however, even after he stopped playing and everyone started moving around.

She looked at David, who was watching her, however, and she turned a faint pink. He smiled and stood to leave, and she made to follow him, but he shook his head. "Oh, no you don't, I'm not having you follow me around for another twenty minutes. Make some friends. Come back to the set later."

"But-" She began to protest, David shaking his head and looking over her shoulder to Daniel, with a very shifty look on his face.

"Hey! Has everyone here met my niece, Rachel Sweet?" David said, putting Ray in the spotlight and everyone cheered, for no reason at all. "HI RACHEL!" They screamed at her, and she winced, turning away from them all and covering her face. She wanted to step on David's foot, but he disappeared as everyone tugged her back to the couch. "Have a seat!" Someone yelled.

"She's cute." She heard a male say, which made her turn red, not pink.

"What part of America are you from?" She knew who said that, it was Emma Watson. Emma Watson was talking to her! Hermione Granger, Burberry model, Emma Watson... She sat still for a moment, the room was quiet. Oh, right, you're supposed to answer someone when they ask a question, right? Ray looked up at Emma with her mouth open, but she smiled and looked around.

"Ah, sorry! I guess I'm not at the top of my game today." Ray said coolly, everyone smiling at her. Her posture was perfect, legs crossed and hands in her lap. "I've lived in Chicago most of my life. But then I moved to Las Vegas and started high school." She spoke slowly and clearly, hoping they all knew what the hell she was talking about.

"Oh, wow, they have schools in Las Vegas?" Bonnie Wright, a.k.a. Ginny Weasley questioned.

"Apparently. I didn't really know before I moved there, either." Ray laughed, getting a collective laugh from the others in the room. There were maybe about twenty-plus people there. She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at their faces, however, "Excuse me if this sounds...Stupid, or whatever, but, what are you all doing here? It doesn't say in the agenda any of you are supposed to be on camera today." She looked around at them all, these were really big stars. Some of them weren't, others were hair and make-up stylists, few were producers.

They seemed tickled by this, however, as they exchanged looks that said they knew something she didn't. "Well, we had to meet the director's niece." Rupert Grint, Mr. Ronald Weasley himself, said in a teasing tone.

"Really!" Ray sat flustered, shaking her head. "No, really!" Ray cried as they laughed, they couldn't all be here just to meet her.

"No, really." Rupert insisted, and Ray picked up the nearest pillow and threw it at him. He caught it before it whacked him in the face, which everyone found that to be tremendously funny, and wore a very surprised, yet amused look. They were shocked that the new girl threw a pillow at Rupert, but Rupert tossed it right back.

"The new girl's got some fire in her." Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) taunted whilst sitting in a chair near Daniel. Ray threw him a glare with a tilt of the head, but it was harmless. He gave a chuckle, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in the chair, Ray looking around at them all.

"This is what we always do." Daniel said, leaning back and playing a few chords of his guitar, Ray giving him the once-over.

"Randomly hang out at work on your days off?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You got it." He said with a wink and she had to look away to stop herself from blushing. They were even more brilliant in real life.

"Oh, really." Ray sighed exasperatedly, placing her hands in her lap. Daniel began playing another song. "Well, I think my break is over. If you'll excuse me." Ray said standing, giving the room a little curtsy before turning to leave. Everyone else exchanged looks with raised eyebrows that said they knew this girl was something else, Ray wondered if she made a well enough impression on them all.

"Ray? Where are you, I want you to meet Helena!" David shouted somewhere down the hall as Ray could be heard screaming from the dressing room.


	3. Moving

**"So, how are you liking it so far?"** David asked Ray over breakfast the next morning. Ray was looking into her oatmeal, stirring it slowly as she rested her cheek in her hand.

"Hm? Oh, the job? It's amazing." She breathed, David nodding as he went back to his newspaper.

"Brilliant." He said, he barely touched his breakfast. He was wearing virtually the same thing as yesterday, a hoodie and jeans, she had on brown boots, a black skirt with pockets, and a white V-neck shirt tucked into that.

"I never would have dreamed that I would get to meet any of these people. Thank you, Uncle." Ray said sincerely, David looking at her over his paper.

"You're scaring me, really, it's nothing. I work with these people everyday, to me, it's nothing." David said plainly, Ray smiling sweetly. She was a lucky girl. "Ready to go? You barely ate." David noted, looking at Ray's food.

"I could say the same for you." Ray said, jumping up and grabbing her sweater and throwing it on.

"Touché. Alright, then, let's go." David said, putting a hand on his niece's back and ushering her out the door before locking it. They hopped in the car, starting down the streets of England before David finally broke the silence. "So, what happened after I left yesterday?" He asked Ray, who was staring out the window.

"During break? Nothing, really. Emma asked which part of America I came from. They didn't believe me when I said they had schools in Las Vegas." Ray stated with a smile, David laughing. "Then again, I didn't believe them when they told me they were there to meet me." She said quietly, fiddling with the radio.

"They were only teasing." David said with a grin, making a sharp turn that made Ray grip the door.

"Of course they were. So they really just hang out like that?" She pondered, David shrugging.

"Sometimes. I'm not too sure, I'm usually too busy with other things. I won't hold you back from hanging around with them. I encourage it, really." David nodded, Ray watching him. There was something else going on here.

"Oh really? Why would that be?" Ray questioned, turning the radio off. English radio wasn't to her liking, sadly.

"You're moving, that's why." David said awfully plain-like. He was far too calm and in control of his emotions ninety-nine percent of the time, and that scared her. Ray was nothing like him most of the time.

"What? I'm moving? Where to?" She asked shortly in disbelief, there was amusement in her voice, but she was mainly shocked to hear her own Uncle was going to have her relocated without her consent.

"To Emma's, naturally."

"Naturally?"

"She moved out of her mum's home and she's been looking for a flatmate, so I volunteered you. You'll have to help with rent and everything." David nodded once, Ray's mouth hanging open. "It's located in a reaaally nice area, only thirty minutes away from the studio-"

"I can't move in with Emma Watson!" Ray practically screamed, David chuckled.

"Well, why not? We already talked about it and she thinks it's a lovely idea." He shrugged, he couldn't be less apathetic.

"Well, I wish _we_ could have talked about it first! Uncle, it's Emma Watson!"

"So?"

"Never mind, you wouldn't understand." Ray pouted, dismissing the subject, but David wouldn't stand for that. He wasn't like her mother or father.

"Like hell, I wouldn't. Enlighten me." He insisted, Ray sighing.

"You've known Emma, and Daniel, and Rupert since they were eleven. I met them just yesterday. This is all still really new to me." Ray said, crossing her arms and legs, David nodding.

"I understand. Daniel told me you were a little star-struck, but that will go away in time." David said as they approached the studio.

"Oh really? Daniel said that?" Ray asked in interest as David parked his car, raising an eyebrow.

"Really." David insisted as they undid their seat belts.

"Really!" Ray sighed, throwing her hands in the air before getting out of the car.

"He really likes you." David said grinning as Ray's jaw dropped open.

"We barely spoke! Anyway, why do I have to move in with Emma? Why can't I stay with you?" She asked, tugging on David's sleeve.

"Stop, stop, because I want you to become independent, this is a learning experience! You'll have to learn how to fend for yourself. This is her first time on her own, as well. Trust me, you'll like being with someone as young and hip as yourself instead of staying with an old rambling man like me." David explained as they checked in and walked into the large, warehouse-like building they were shooting in. Ray settled and soaked this all in for a few moments, she felt sick. It was a long silence before she finally said something.

"Why don't you find yourself a nice, able-bodied woman to keep up with you, Uncle?" Ray wondered in a solemn voice, putting all the moving stuff aside. She didn't want to fight him on this any longer. He was just as persistent as she was.

"If I can find a woman who will sit at home and wait for me while I'm away for nearly twelve hours a day, I'll marry her. I guess you kind of get used to being alone." He sighed, Ray had never seen him so deep into thought before. He looked up at her if she had done something terribly wrong, and she felt afraid for nearly a fraction of a second before he smiled.

The rest of the week has proceeded about the same as the first two days, as did the next. David still hasn't had Ray relocated yet, he wouldn't admit it, but he liked having her around. The date was set, unfortunately, it would be on the ninth. It was the sixth. Between her trips to get his coffee, and her breaks that she spent making sure they were on schedule, Ray had spent none of her time around Daniel, or Emma, or anyone else for that matter.

Ray remained star struck as they began to shoot the wedding scenes at the end of the second week, and David grew impatient with the stars as they messed up repeatedly, and so did Ray. Getting up and down to restart the takes was exhausting. They had relocated to a large field with a nearby house that was supposed to be the Burrow. There were so many extras in this scene, Ray ran around making sure they were all present and in place, juggling a script, clipboard, and the clapper board all at once.

She had not once called Daniel out on his comment about her being star-struck, but she would, eventually, when she found time. He and his friends weren't usually on set, they were off modeling, being in plays, or had smaller acting roles on television shows. Or they were at parties, or doing something fun. Ray didn't go with them, she stayed with David all day and night, then crashed when they returned home.

"I can't wait until you move in with Emma." David stated over breakfast one morning, looking from his paper and coffee at the harried and exhausted niece of his.

"Why?" Ray asked shortly, shaking her hair out with her fingers. She wasn't exactly the most talkative person in the mornings.

"You're supposed to be out all night doing bad things. Partying, staying up late, not sleep in your room like a hermit." David babbled like a madman, he was always so brisk and sharp, no matter what time of day it was.

"M-hm, mm-hmmm, uh-huh." Ray nodded and responded as he spoke, and he put down his newspaper to look at her over his glasses.

"Really now, I wouldn't mind if you showed up to work with a hangover once or twice. It might become a problem if you make a habit out of it, though." David said, Ray rolling her eyes as he tried to hide the smirk on his face.

"Yeah. Did you just say that?" Ray muttered, throwing a piece of bagel at him.

So, here she was, checking that everything was ready to fly, she's been here all morning, and it could get awfully boring when the first three to four hours were dedicated to the stars getting their hair, make-up, and costumes on. She just wanted something to do. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and whipped it out to check the message her Uncle sent her from across the room-

"Grab me coffee and a bagel -David"

She looked up at where he was sitting, and he waved, a few important people sitting around him snickered and Ray rolled her eyes before marching off. She set her script, clipboard, and clapper board down on the long snack table before getting a cup of coffee and bagel, trying to figure out how to juggle these all back to her place next to David. The snack table was off in a more secluded spot, with people whizzing by trying to get things done last-minute before they started rolling.

"Would you like some help with that?" Emma asked, she was walking past before seeing Ray attempting to carry the coffee and bagel on her script, on her clipboard, on her clapper board, and went to her aid.

"Oh...All I can get." Ray muttered, Emma smiling and taking the coffee and script.

"So, are you excited about being roommates?" Emma asked, Ray heading slooowllly in the direction of her Uncle.

"I don't know yet. I'm kind of nervous, to be honest." Ray said rather sheepishly, Emma giving her a warm smile.

"It'll be fun. We'll party." She said shortly, handing David his coffee and Ray giving him his bagel and Emma giving Ray her script. David looked back and forth between the two and stated, "Emma? Get your butt on stage!" He said, Emma laughed and went to her spot as Ray sat, making a _phew! _sound.

David just sat and stared at her with a dumb expression on his face. "Excuse me, were you just socializing?"

"It seems that way." Ray raised her eyebrows before crossing her legs and resting her chin in her hand. David still looked at her, with disbelief on his face.

"What? OH-oh, oh." Ray exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and updating the clapper board on the way to the camera, starting the scene.


	4. Like A Stone

**The morning Rachel was due to move into Emma's flat, **she came downstairs in her pajamas and glared at the man sitting at the kitchen table. He glanced back at her over the rims of his reading glasses only for a second, holding a newspaper and cup of coffee.

"Don't look at my like that, I did you a favor." Ray grunted in a disagreeable manner. "Are your things ready?" David asked, placing his coffee down on the table and turning a page of his paper. Rachel shoved her hands in the pockets of her flannel pajamas and looked up at the ceiling.

"I only have two suitcases." She muttered, scratching the top of her head and making the shagginess of her hair even more extreme.

"Well, you plan on getting ready so we can go? Or do you plan on moving in dressed in your pj's.'s?" David questioned, folding his paper up. Rachel rubbed her chin thoughtfully, looking out the nearest window now. It was pretty damn cold outside for it only being September. She was from Vegas, she was used to one-hundred degrees one-hundred percent of the time.

"That's not a bad idea." She said, rather amused. A smile played across David's face that suggested he knew something she didn't.

"Oh really? Daniel will be there." He said as if it were nothing.

"Why would I care? Why is he going anyway?" Ray asked hotly, David trying to hide the joy in his eyes. He loved watching her suffer.

"He's helping Emma move her things in. You know, couches and things like that." David said nonchalantly, smoothing out the paper now lying flat on the table.

"I don't care." Ray muttered, but she loathed even herself as she stomped upstairs to take a shower and get ready. Despite her best efforts to not care, she cared, just a little bit. She argued back and forth with herself as she shampooed her hair, she cared, she didn't care, she didn't think about Daniel that way. She believed it was impossible to like a person you barely knew. It was true, every time Daniel came around on set, Ray began to stutter and fiddle with her hair. This of course, resulted in her fleeing to David's side. To her dismay, David noticed this chain of events and made her check up on Daniel frequently to see if he needed anything.

She came down practically an hour later with her bags, dressed in a neon pink and black striped shirt that hung off her shoulders, denim jeans, and black boots. She also wore a black biker jacket, for it was freaking cold outside. She even applied a fresh coat of makeup, and when she reentered the kitchen, David looked her up and down, then smiled at her. His smile was not returned.

"There, now that's better. All clean and pretty." He said, rather chipper. Ray rolled her eyes, David seemed ecstatic now that he's put her in a bad mood. "All right, let's go then. Wait 'till you see the place, it's actually in a great location." David explained, taking the heavier of the two suitcases and rolling it outside, locking the door behind them.

"Not that I would know anything about what would be considered a 'great location'." Ray sighed, David putting the bags in the backseat of his car.

"Maybe you should ask Emma to show you around." They both got in and buckled their belts, Ray pouting and staring out the window. David cleared his throat and took off down the road, tapping on the steering wheel and clearing his throat again. He wasn't good with children. Well, Rachel wasn't exactly a child, but then again, age is just a number.

"Can I ask you a question?" David wondered, rain beginning to pelt the windows lightly. Ray looked at him, wanting to blurt out "no," but that would be rude. She was curious to know what the question was anyway. "Why do you always seem to be in a cross mood? Is it me?" David inquired in a quiet tone, Ray rather shocked he thought that.

"Well... Er, I'm sorry I'm that way?" She wasn't really sure of what else to say. "I don't mean to be like that. It's not your fault. I guess it's my own." After that, she couldn't find anymore words. Was she really that way with him? He really was giving her the opportunity of a lifetime, she didn't want to seem ungrateful.

"It's alright. It doesn't bother me that much. Just do me a favor, and be nice to Daniel, please." Ray's head snapped liked a rubber band to look at her Uncle. "What?" She asked, that was a rather odd thing to request, and the way her Uncle rapidly tapped the steering wheel of the car made her a little suspicious. Desperate to change the subject, he said, "Let's see what's on the radio, shall we?" then immediately began tuning through the stations to fill the silence, landing on the Beatles and leaving it there.

"Why, is Daniel okay?" Ray wondered, tracing shapes in the fog that clung to the window.

"Of course he is, why wouldn't he be?" David asked, Ray folding her arms.

"Well, you said, 'be nice to _Daniel'. _Not, 'be nice to... Emma'!" She reasoned, David scoffing.

"Well, there's no doubt in my mind you and Emma will get along. I think you're quite alike." David said, Ray beginning to lose her cool again, for what might have been the third time this morning. Oh dear. And it was only seven.

"Oh, oh, okay. Tell me why I should be nice to _Daniel_, then." She demanded, David sighed, slowing down once they got into a crowded junction and throwing the car into reverse.

"We're here." David said hastily, putting the car in park and getting out, Ray's mouth dropping open and following him out of the car. "UNCLE!" She screamed, going around the back and having a suitcase handed to her.

"FINE, fine!" David said, waving his hand at her, this is the first time he's lost his patience with her, and Ray felt some sick sense of satisfaction at seeing the wrinkles between his brows. "Daniel's just been a bit down lately, that's all." David said, pointing to the cars parked in front of his.

"That's Emma's car, by the way, the one in front of that is Daniel's. Emma's brother, and her mother is here too, I believe. She's been completely fretting over her only daughter moving out. Then again, I think she wants to see if you're a freak or not. Boy, is she in for a surprise." David joked, Ray shoving him as she looked at the building they headed towards. It was enormous, beautiful and bricked, complete with doormen and a lobby.

"Oh... My..." She felt a wave of anxiety with a hint of nausea, this was really happening.

"Come on, Rachel!" David called over his shoulder, Ray nodding to the doormen and following her Uncle into the brightly lit lobby. It had a chandelier. It was beautiful, but Ray never stood or walked underneath them. She believed in gravity.

They moved across the lobby into an elevator the size of Rachel's bathroom back home, David rummaging through his pockets and pulling out a ring with a single key on it, sticking it in the slot of the elevator, and twisting it, Ray watching curiously. "This is your key, it will take you right to your floor." David explained carefully, she nodded, rolling her eyes, she wasn't a moron, she could work a key.

"Great." She muttered with immense difficulty, closing her hand over the key that was placed in it. The elevator began with a lurch, and her stomach turned, wondering who would be there when its doors opened.

* * *

"Rachel and David are here!" Ray opened her eyes to see Emma running towards them, Daniel right behind her. The grin on his face absolutely made her blush. Ray tried to keep herself composed, putting a large smile on her face as she stepped out of the elevator with David and caught Emma in her arms.

"You're here! This is rather exciting, don't you think?" Emma asked with a large smile, Ray nodding.

"Most exciting thing that's ever happened in my life." She laughed, Emma parting from her and greeting David as Daniel walked up to her. "Hullo, Dan... You're all sweaty." Rachel looked him up and down, Daniel nodding and laughing a bit. Oh God. She loved sweaty boys.

"Yeah, I am. Moving furniture is hard work you know." Daniel said, wiping his forehead.

"Can't handle a little manual labor, Danny?" David asked, patting Daniel on the back and everyone laughed.

"Come on, you have to meet my mum and brother." Emma said, taking Ray's hand and pulling her into the living room. When they reached it, Emma's brother Alex and their "mum" were sitting on the new couches Daniel had brought in, her brother was rather sweaty, also. There was also another young guy about their age, sitting next to Emma's mother.

"Everyone, this is my new roommate, Rachel. This is my mother Jacqueline, my boyfriend George, and my brother Alex." Emma gestured to each of them with a nod of her head, her arms entangled with Ray's.

"Hello, pleased to meet you." Ray said to Emma's mother and boyfriend, flashing her best smile, everyone getting up to greet her individually. Jacqueline hugged her like she was family. She was a really sweet woman, anyone could just tell by looking at her, she was just as elegant and beautiful as anyone would expect.

Emma's boyfriend greeted Ray sort of awkwardly, in a wave slash handshake sort of thing, and Ray had to double-take when she realized he was George Craig, lead singer of the band _One Night Only_. Emma's never said anything about a boyfriend, but then again, she wasn't really the type to go around talking about things like that, Ray supposed.

She was taken more aback when Alex, her brother, walked right up to her and gave her a tight hug, and they stood there for a second like that, that was until Emma pushed him away.

Rupert Grint came stumbling out of one of the rooms, looking dazed, but then his lips broke into a boyish smile. "Oh, Rachel, you're here!" He said, walking over and joining the group. Rachel felt small whenever Rupert was around, he was very tall and burly.

"Oh, Rupert, _you're_ here." She was somewhat surprised by his appearance, but truthfully, quite pleased by it. She rather liked him, in a friendly sort of way, they always joked with each other and she felt relaxed around him.

"Let me show you the rest of the place!" Emma gripped Ray's arm, bouncing up and down, ready to burst with excitement.

"Okay." Ray giggled as she was pulled along, the flat was actually quite large. It had a den, a fairly large kitchen, two bedrooms with their own bathrooms and a dining area. "The balcony is just brilliant." Emma said as they stepped onto the concrete balcony overlooking the district. Everyone except Jacqueline and David joined them as they gazed out onto the street.

"If anyone saw you all up here, you think they'd have a heart attack?" Ray joked. She couldn't stop smiling, even if she wanted to, her face was beginning to hurt. She stood with her arms crossed over the bannister, looking down into the street, Emma on her right and Daniel on her left.

"We're floors up, hopefully they won't." Rupert muttered, backing away from the edge of the balcony.

"Next thing you know, there'd be loads of photographers swarming the building." Daniel added, Emma and Ray exchanging worried looks.

"Yeah, I'm going inside." Alex said, being followed by the rest. The seconds they spent outside seemed to cool everyone off, and David and Jacqueline looked up at them with huge smiles on their faces.

"So, what are you girls going to do now?" David asked as everyone took a seat on the sofas, the house was rather empty at the moment.

"Get more furniture." Ray sighed, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"And food." Rupert added, rubbing his stomach. They all laughed, the silence after was barely covered up by the honking of horns outside and Emma complimenting Ray on her boots.

"We should go shopping." Emma whispered, both their eyes wide. Ray had sort of a spending problem, whenever she had money, she just _had_ to spend it.

"Well, I've got things to do." David said in one breath, getting up, Emma's mother standing also.

"Come on, Alex." Alex followed suit, Emma and Ray jumping up.

"You're leaving?" Emma tugged on her mother's sleeve, who returned her daughter's gesture by patting her tenderly on the head.

"Yes, love, you'll be fine on your own, right? If you need anything, just call me." She reminded Emma as the five of them headed towards the elevator.

"Rachel, here." David whispered, diverting her attention away from Emma and her family. He handed her a plastic card with little numbers all over it, and he must have noticed how her eyes glimmered, because he added, "_Don't_ spend more than you need to! I don't want to go broke." David ran a hand through his hair and greatly resembled a tired old man. Wait. "There's no limit on it, either." He muttered, Ray grinning hugely.

"Yes, Uncle." She said, gingerly kissing him on the cheek and he waved a hand at her, the elevator opening on the floor.

"Oh, take a day off tomorrow you two, get used to your surroundings." David threw in the last statement, Alex kissing his sister on the cheek and jumping in the elevator, waving to them.

"Yes, sir." Rachel saluted her Uncle, she would sort of miss him, then again, she got enough of him at work.

When the doors shut, she and Emma looked at each other and screamed, and began laughing. "This is going to be sooo much fun." Ray said, grabbing hold of Emma as they walked back into the living room. The three boys on the sofas were watching them, rather confused, the two girls still giggling up a storm.

* * *

She couldn't believe this was happening. Any of it, not for a second. She's been around these people for a little over three weeks, and she still couldn't believe it. She was becoming less nervous around them and she forced herself time and time again to just accept that they were here, that they were real, and that this was happening. She hoped it wouldn't just be temporary. That they wouldn't fade and become unreal again. They were in her life, and she hoped it would last. She didn't care if they were famous, sometimes she forgot, but then it hit her from time to time, they were so much bigger than she. They were such amazing people to be around, and she was _just_ incredibly lucky.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" She heard Emma's voice loud and clear, but her mind wasn't allowing her to respond. "Raaachel?" Emma nudged her arm, Ray blinking a couple times and raising an eyebrow.

"It's perfect." She shrugged, smiling to reassure the girl who was grinning back. "I need a bed. Unless I sleep in one of my suitcases." She muttered, crossing her arms and grinning at the thought.

"My bedroom is identical to yours. I don't have a bed, either." Ray looked at her, she was so beautiful, she'd looked at pictures of Emma Watson and just imagined her living in a castle. Not living with her.

"We'll have to get some, then." Ray smiled with a raised eyebrow, Emma grinning. They walked back into the living room, Rupert falling asleep, Daniel and George chatting quietly. "We're going shopping. You all coming?" Emma asked as she snatched up her purse, Rupert jumping up.

"Finally!" He sighed, rubbing his stomach again.

"Yeah, yeah." Ray rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed glued to her face even as they entered the elevator. They all fit inside comfortably, Ray feeling her pockets. "Did you bring a key?" She asked with wide eyes, Emma going through her purse hurriedly and sighing, holding her little key up. Ray felt herself relax, smiling and brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Oh my God!" Emma cried out, everyone jumping and looking at her, who was looking at Ray.

"WHAT, what, is there a bug on me?" Ray wondered, turning around in the elevator. She despised bugs. If one even entered the vicinity, she would squash it with whatever was in her hands. Or, if she was empty-handed, she just used her hands.

"No, it's just, you have so many earrings! I never noticed that before!" Emma said, Rupert lifting Ray's hair to examine how many she really had. "Blimey, how many do you have?" He asked counting the jewels, Ray showing them the other side.

"Fourteen." She stated nonchalantly, everyone filing out of the elevator. Yet only twelve were located on her ears. Rupert and Daniel must have noticed this, for they exchanged looks of confusion.

"Alright, then." Daniel said, rather amused, Ray casting him a sharp glance. "Shall we take my car?" He asked. George, who had his arm wrapped tight around Emma's shoulders, chuckled.

"No, let's take Emma's Coupe, we should all fit in there nicely with the stuff we're getting." He cracked, everyone laughing and loading into Daniel's big black pickup. Ray sat in the back with Emma and George, Rupert up front with Daniel.

As Dan's truck roared to life, Audioslave came blaring from the speakers. He turned it down, and everyone seemed to protest at once, so, he cranked it back up.

"I love this song! I remember listening to it as a kid!" Ray called out over the music, Daniel looking at her in the mirror.

"Me too! That's good!" He laughed, tapping the steering wheel in time to the beat, everyone singing along. After some time, Emma tapped Daniel's shoulder and pointed to a furniture store on the right side of the road. They didn't have to go too far to find it. Everyone shuffled out and filed into the store, Daniel and Rupert rough-housing around as soon as they got in the space filled with fragile items.

"Hello!" The shopkeeper greeted them, watching Daniel and Rupert as if they had some disease.

"Hi. Do you deliver?" Emma asked, Rachel already wandering off and examining items, this store had some pretty okay things. Emma and George walked up behind her, Ray picking up a glass cat, turning it over, then setting it down. Something had caught her attention from across the store.

"Emma. We have to get beds like this one." Ray said, Emma following with a quizzical smile. The bed Ray was looking at was a four-post, Queen-sized, about two feet off the ground, and made of smooth, dark oak. She gripped one of the posts, shaking it to see if it was sturdy enough, the she lifted herself onto it and laid down. "Oh, this is nice." Ray said, nodding, Emma parting from George and laying down next to her, Rupert and Daniel rounding a corner and watching them curiously.

"Yes, I like this one." Emma giggled, Rupert looking skeptical.

"Let us try, then!" He said, Emma shaking her head.

"You're not buying a bed, are you?" She protested, but the two boys forced them off, laying next to each other, looking quite odd.

"Yeah, it is kind of nice." Rupert said, Daniel shrugging.

"Miss, is this the only color this bed comes in?" Ray asked the woman who was standing nearby, she walked over and raised an eyebrow at the boys on the bed.

"Ah, it comes in dark wood, which is what you see here, a lighter wood, almost like a beige, and white." She couldn't fathom why the boys were laughing so much, but then again, she kept saying "wood," so, there. She walked away, Emma scolding the boys, but she too, was laughing.

"Have you thought about how you want to decorate your room?" Rachel asked, leaning on the nearest post. Emma shrugged, Ray grinning. "You should let me decorate it for you. I promise it won't look like crap." She said, Emma smiling widely.

"I like lavender. Nothing too dark." Emma said, Rupert wrapping his arms around Daniel, who immediately jumped up, everyone laughing.

"That, my friend, is where we are different. I crave the dark." Ray said, running her hand down the post, Rupert hopping up.

"I was beginning to wonder if they _didn't_ have anything in common." He muttered to George, who nodded, it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Rachel and Emma didn't return home until nighttime, Daniel, Rupert and George helping bring in groceries and other things to hold them over for the night until their furniture was delivered the next day. While Emma and George put away the food, Rachel had taken the bedding they bought and fixed the couches up nice enough so they were comfortable enough to sleep on. It had been a fun day, hopping around stores and just buying whatever they felt like getting. Eventually, Rupert and Daniel began picking out things for the house, like the large glass dalmatian Rupert thought was cool and the lava lamp Daniel scraped up for six pounds. Rachel was still getting used to the money here, it was worth more than the American dollar, but she had Emma's help and figured it out easily enough.

While they were out, they got cheeseburgers, but they also got mauled by fans a few times, and it took Daniel some careless driving to get away from them all. One group of girls actually ran a whole block after them, but gave up. It was sort of odd, but it would take some getting used to, especially when you were with the Harry Potter dream team, _and _George Craig.

Ray had sneaked off onto the balcony for awhile, bending over and resting her arms and chin on the bannister, staring into the lights of the city. She must have been exhausted, for she was having trouble focusing her eyes. She hummed to herself, a tuneless melody and jumped when she heard a voice behind her.

"Everything alright?" Daniel asked softly, Ray stood and turned to face him, so her back was against the scene she was previously gazing at.

"Of course." She said with a smile. She got a nervous feeling whenever he spoke directly to her, it was like something picking away at your nerves, and no matter how much you try to ignore it, it was constantly there.

He stood in one place awkwardly, he looked stuck, not knowing if he should stay or go back inside, but he stepped forward and rested his elbows on the bannister. She watched him as he watched the street below, and for a moment he opened his mouth as if he had something to say, but he closed it. She turned back around, leaning on the bannister the way she was before, not comfortable with the silence, but she couldn't think of anything to say. What did you say to someone you probably had nothing in common with? Daniel was almost like her polar opposite. He cleared his throat and she looked at him curiously.

"Can I be honest with you, Rachel?" He seemed sort of uncomfortable, so she tried to act more calm so he could relax.

"Always." She nodded, reassuring him with a smile. He smiled back, Rachel itching to know what he was going to say. '_Just be nice_.' She reminded herself, why, she wasn't really sure. She made a mental note to ask Emma later what Daniel Radcliffe could possibly be down about.

"When David told us you were coming, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Well," he shifted his weight and Ray stayed quiet patiently, "I was somewhat expecting a real stick-in-the-mud, you know, I thought you'd be like your Uncle." He looked up at her, and his eyes were still a hypnotizing blue, even in the surrounding dark of the night.

"And I'm nothing like him." Ray sort of giggled, Daniel nodding. "Exactly!" They laughed about this fact a bit, it was sort of apparent she was nothing like her Uncle, but she took the opportunity to ask him about something else.

"So, based off of... What you've heard about me, what do you know?" Ray was mildly interested to hear what David had told them about her. Daniel sighed, a little grin on his face, Ray somewhat worried. "Daniel!" It sounded like a warning.

"Okay, okay, well... He was really excited about you coming. He showed me and Emma your pictures on Facebook."

"NO, he didn't! Daniel!" She cried, nudging his arm urgently, and Daniel kept a tight hold on his grin. "It's alright, they're very cute." He said, and she tilted her head. He cleared his throat, "In a very creative way, you know." His laugh was very light and airy, and somewhat comforting.

"I can't believe him. What else? Spill it, you can't get him in any more trouble than he already is!" She prodded him with a finger when he shook his head. He took a breath, and began laughing. He had a cute smile. Dammit, why the hell was he so nice and charming? Why couldn't he spit and swear and be disgusting like other men?

"Well, he said good things. Like you're bright and funny and things like that." Daniel stared at his hands, Ray standing up and turning her back on the street for the second time, crossing her arms.

"That's one good thing about my Uncle. The man never lies." She sighed, Daniel chuckling, standing up straight.

"So, based off of what you've heard about me, what do you know?" He asked, leaning on the railing with his elbow, his body turned towards her. She looked at him, his boyish grin practically glued to the inside of her eyelids.

"Where to start. I don't think you want to know, I wouldn't want to scare you off." She said quietly, her smile fading. She didn't want to reveal how big of a dork she really was, she knew far too much about the Golden Trio.

"What? That's silly. Do you know how many times I've been proposed to by people I've never met before in my life? Anything you say won't be as half as scary as that." He nudged her, and even as she bit the inside of her cheek, she wanted to laugh.

"I suppose. Well, I guess the only way I can say it without it sounding weird is... Well, it's like..." She chipped away at the neon pink nail polish on her fingernails, Daniel watching her with a very concentrated expression. "It's like knowing someone for nearly ten years, without really knowing them. You see? I think a lot of us grew up with Harry Potter, and you happened to be him." He seemed to understand, he was nodding.

"Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. It's not weird at all." She looked down at him, and he nodded, "Go on."

She looked up at the concrete roof of the balcony and sighed, might as well. "Your face was on my wall, too, for awhile." She admitted quietly, and he had to strain his ears to hear her over the street. He seemed to pick up that she felt uncomfortable, for he tried to lighten the mood.

"'For awhile'? You mean you took my picture down?" He asked, and she looked at him, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'll put up another, in my room here." They both laughed, his laugh was almost as loud as hers was. "I know far too much about you. You should really stop doing interviews." She mused, turning around and leaning far out of the balcony. "I know you love the Sex Pistols, but I think that's common knowledge, Gary Oldman taught you how to play the guitar, you never tried out for the role of Harry Potter; you were discovered in a movie theater, OH, and you're a Leo." She threw in, she had said all that in one breath, wincing and looking up slowly to see if he would freak out, but he just looked into the street that was now slowly emptying. It must have been getting later by the second.

"Wow." He breathed, Ray nodding sadly.

Daniel saw her expression and began grinning, nudging her shoulder with his own.

"I guess I really _should_ stop doing interviews." He cracked, Ray half-smiling, still embarrassed that she had all that remembered. "So, what else do you like to do, besides research about my life?" He teased, leaning over close enough that she was forced to turn away. She couldn't handle being that close to him.

"What, you mean we're done talking about you?" Rachel acted surprised, Daniel laughing.

"I talk about myself too much. Come on." He insisted, she rested her chin in her hand.

"Well, I really like music. All kinds, you could put on anything and I couldn't find a way to hate it if I tried. Music's like another limb to me." She chose her words carefully, she knew Daniel was a music man. He didn't say anything, he just listened with a smile on his face. "I draw, sometimes portraits, other times whatever's hanging around inside my head. I really like photography, I love painting. But I suppose the thing that can always make me happy is dancing." She admitted, Daniel raising his eyebrows.

"Really? Do you have a favorite style?" He seemed genuinely interested.

"All kinds. Ballet, jazz, modern, you name it."

"I see. Go on." Daniel said, Ray turning her head towards him sharply.

"About?"

"About yourself, tell me more!" Daniel said, he sounded a little too enthused. Perhaps he really did like hearing about her?

"Oh, Dan..." She ran her fingers through her hair, shaking it out in a distressed manner. "I like pretzels, I prefer silver to gold, I'm terrible at math, and whenever people tell me what to do, I'm tempted to do the opposite. But I'm getting better with that... Someday I want to be a director."

Daniel had a large grin on his face, Rachel turning away from him. "Me too." He said, "Who's your favorite director?" He tugged on the sleeve of her jacket, Rachel turning towards him.

"As long as you don't tell my Uncle." She held up a finger threateningly, Daniel holding up his hands and shaking his head. "Alfonso Cuaron." She stated simply, bending so she could rest her chin on the bannister again. She looked up when she heard Daniel laughing, and she couldn't help but laugh herself. "Isn't that sad? My Uncle isn't even my favorite director. That's sad." She said solemnly, Daniel still laughing. "Don't tell him I said that, Dan!" She warned him, and he ran his hand through his hair, still smiling hugely.

"Hey, Alfonso's amazing. We were lucky enough to work with him on Prisoner of Azkaban." He leaned on the bannister, they were both more relaxed than before. "You want to meet him?" Daniel asked with a grin, Rachel shaking her head vigorously.

"I think I would die." She spoke through a smile, and without looking she could tell Daniel was smiling as well. "I thought you did a really great job in Half-Blood Prince, by the way." She added, tilting her head up slightly so she could look at him.

"Really?" He seemed a bit surprised by this comment, but he smiled all the same.

"Yes." She nodded seriously, she didn't think she could blow up his ego any bigger than she already had, but he seemed pretty pleased with himself. Then it was quiet, until Ray heard Daniel chuckling to himself a bit and she turned to look at him again. "What?" She asked, rather concerned.

"I was wrong. About what I said, about you not being like your Uncle." Daniel said, Ray watching him with a curious expression. "The way you said that reminded me of him, just a little bit!" Daniel said when she groaned, but she smiled all the same.

"I'm cold." Ray stood straight, hugging her jacket around her, she couldn't stand it, as much as she wanted to stay outside and continue their conversation, she was both tired and cold.

"We should go inside, then." Daniel insisted, opening the sliding door for her and following her inside. She sighed a sigh of relief as the warmth of the indoors consumed her, but as soon as she saw Rupert asleep on one of the couches, and Emma and George cuddled, asleep on the other, she groaned. "Wow. It's almost midnight." Daniel said, checking the watch on his wrist and tapping Rupert on the shoulder. "Come on Rupe, let's go home." Daniel said, Rupert waking with a start, Ray feeling bad about waking him.

"Aww, you should have let him sleep there." She muttered, Rupert standing and yawning.

"No, it's okay, Rach, if I stayed here, where would you sleep?" Rupert asked, patting Ray on the shoulder as he walked past, who grunted.

"In my suitcase?" She mused as they headed towards the elevator, shuffling around as quietly as they could without waking Emma and George. She didn't want Daniel _or_ Rupert to leave.

"Ah... Do you have my number?" Daniel asked, he must have picked up that she was feeling upset about them leaving, because he stopped and turned around, searching his pockets awkwardly for his phone.

Ray looked up at him, rather surprised, did she hear him right?

"Well, no..." She said, Daniel pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

"Put your number in my phone, and I'll text you when I get home, and then you'll have my number." He said, opening a new contact and handing it to her with a nervous laugh. Ray tried as hard as she could to not drop the phone, or fumble with it, but even as she entered her number, into Daniel Radcliffe's phone, her fingers trembled.

'_He said he'd text me!_' She thought, messing up her own number several times. Good thing Rupert wasn't really paying attention, or at least he pretended not to, he was falling asleep whilst leaning against the wall.

She breathed in deeply and handed it back to him with a forced smile, the elevator opening on their floor. It sure was an impatient elevator.

"Okay, then." Daniel said with a smile as he and Rupert stepped inside the box, Ray leaning against the wall. "I'll text you." Daniel repeated, Ray couldn't even think of what to say to that.

"Goodnight Dan, goodnight Rupe, sleep well." She added, seeing Rupert yawn and wave,

Daniel's smile

disappearing

behind elevator doors.


	5. I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor

**Sometime the next day,** Rachel awoke to the sound of Emma and Georges' hushed whispers, she lifted her head up a bit to glance out the balcony's sliding doors, just to see what time of day it was.

It was that awkward time between morning and noon, as far as she could tell, and she sat up, trying her hardest to not listen to Emma and George saying their goodbyes before the elevator carried him downstairs. Rachel had fallen asleep in her clothes, and she never even stayed awake long enough to make sure if Daniel really had sent a text to her.

Emma walked back into the room, sighing, stopping when she saw Ray smiling at her from the couch.

"Oh, good morning!" Emma said, Ray running her hand through her hair.

"Morning, Em. Sleep well?" Ray asked, standing and stretching her arms high above her head.

"Yes, I did, thank you... You have your belly button pierced, too?" Emma asked, somewhat exasperated, but still amused. Ray smoothed her shirt over her stomach, nodding.

"And my neck." She stated as if it was nothing, Emma bouncing across the living room to her.

"Let me see!" She chimed, Ray gathering her hair in one hand and holding it over her shoulder so Emma could examine the jewelry in the back of her neck.

"It's odd, but I like it!" Emma complimented, Ray smiling at her and throwing her hair back over her shoulder.

"Thanks. Would you like some pancakes?" Ray asked, Emma clasping her hands together and resting them under her chin.

"Oh, I would love some!" She responded, Ray could tell she was a morning person. Personally, mornings made her want to puke.

Ray set to work on those pancakes as soon as Emma hopped into the shower, her phone ringing somewhere in her purse in her room a half-hour later.

"Ah, crap..." Ray dashed to her room, squatting down and rummaging through her bag, grabbing a hold of it and answering without checking the number. "Hello?" She asked, walking briskly back into the kitchen and continuing her cooking. She could no longer hear the shower running, but she was nearly done, a large stack of pancakes was sitting and waiting for Emma when she got back.

"Rachel?" She could hear Daniel's voice through the other end and immediately began fumbling with the food and fixing her hair as if he could see her.

"Oh, Dan, hi!" she was somewhat shocked, shocked that he actually called her so early. Well, it wasn't that early. To her, maybe.

"Hi." He said, she could hear that he was nervous, but he laughed it off. "Is this a good time?" He was very considerate, she wondered if he was like that naturally.

"Oh, sure, I'm just making banana pancakes for me and Emma." She really wanted to know why he called. Surely, not to just chat.

"You cook?" Daniel asked, she could practically hear him grinning.

"Barely. I'm a horrible cook, but I have my days." She said with a smile, feeling somewhat antsy. Daniel, why are you calling?

"Maybe you should cook for me one day, let me be the judge."

"And poison you? No thanks, babe." Ray said, leaning forward on the counter as Emma came out of the bathroom, tilting her head to the side at seeing Ray on the phone.

She mouthed "_Daniel_," pointing to the phone, not liking the way Emma's mouth broke into a huge grin, Daniel chuckling on the opposite end of the phone.

"Come on. It won't be that bad."

Ray had to consider this. A chance to cook for Danny. "Maybe." She said, handing Emma her plate and a glass of milk, whose eyes glimmered at the homemade breakfast. Emma nodded towards the couches, Ray grabbing her food and following her. Ray noticed music was playing in the background on Dan's end, and the only reason she noticed was because it was one of her favorite bands.

"Arctic Monkeys?" Ray asked suddenly, there was a pause before Daniel said,

"Well, yeah. You like them?" Daniel asked, Emma watching Ray like she was a television. Undoubtedly waiting for her to say something scandalous.

"Are you kidding? They're one of my top three bands!" Ray breathed, staring at her food. She hadn't touched it, and she wouldn't eat as long as she was talking to Daniel, she didn't want to repulse him.

"Really? I didn't know that. They're actually playing a show tonight." Ray's heart nearly dropped. They were in her city last April, but it was eighteen and over, and she wouldn't be either until the following month. "Would you like to go?"

Her mouth dropped open, Emma trying to string together the ends of the conversation she was hearing.

"Rachel?" Daniel checked to see if she was still on the line.

"I'm here, yeah - I mean, yes, I would love to go-" She wanted to die. She was going to see the Arctic Monkeys. Tonight. With Daniel Radcliffe? What the fizzuck was going on.

"Er, yeah, see if Emma and George want to go, if you want," Daniel said, suddenly things got awkward; was this a date? What classified as a date, Ray had never gone on one of those before.

The buzzer rang, Emma hopping up off the couch and going to see who it was, it was unbearably quiet on the phone. Both Daniel and Rachel were thinking, hard.

"The delivery men are here!" Emma called, Ray thankful to have something else to do.

"Okay, Em, I'll be right there! Dan, the people delivering our furniture are here," she felt like he felt that she didn't want to go. Maybe she was over-analyzing the situation.

"Oh, of course." He said, understanding it was time to hang up. "I'll pick you up at eight?" It sounded weird, Ray had never heard anyone say that to her before.

"Of course."

"Invite Emma. It'll be fun." It sounded like a promise, though she had no doubt about it.

"I'll see you tonight." Ray reassured him, she really wanted to go, really, she wanted nothing more at the moment, but she couldn't but help feeling a little nervous, insecure, she tried to brush the feelings away.

"Right. Okay," Daniel stumbled over a few words, Ray smiling, she was never hesitant to hang up.

"Goodbye, Daniel." She said, using his full name instead of his nickname. Hopefully he would remember how she said it and would think of her non-stop until eight that evening.

For the remainder of the day, Emma and Rachel received all the furniture they ordered the previous; vanities, dressers, beds, a brand new flat-screen was now installed in the living room, a coffee table settled neatly in the middle of the room, a square dining table and matching chairs set up in the space next to the kitchen. A cable man had even stopped by and hooked up the phones, internet, all that good stuff. When the house was finished, it looked much better than before, but it still was far from being a home.

"Emma, I forgot to ask you. Do you think you and George would be interested in going to see the Arctic Monkeys tonight?" Ray asked, plopping down on the nearest couch. She still hadn't eaten her pancakes, they were sitting in the fridge. "Daniel said he'd take me, and if I wanted, I should invite you two."

"Oh, really?" Emma asked, sitting also, so that's what that was all about.

"Really. I don't think I could handle going alone." Ray said, Daniel wasn't a bad guy, she just felt that Emma would reassure her in any situation.

"Sure. It sounds like fun. I'll call George and ask him right now." She said, hopping off the couch before the spot got a chance to get warm.

Ray breathed out, why was she being such a baby about this whole Daniel thing?

'_Because he's a huge star. He's Daniel Radcliffe. He's charming, and intelligent. You've never even been on a date with a boy, let alone an actor._' The voice in her head answered, it was brutally honest. She wasn't safe inside her own head.

She grabbed the remote to the television and turned it on, the screen flickering to life. She channel surfed, learning which channel was MTV, which one was for children, so on and so forth, until Emma came back. She sat next to Ray on the couch, cellphone in hand.

"George said he's in, so we'll be there." Emma said with a smile, Ray sighing a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." Ray breathed, Emma tilting her head.

"You're really worried?" She was right in being confused, Ray was usually aloof, and comical. This was probably the most serious she's ever been.

"A little. I might just be thinking a little too hard. This is all happening so suddenly. Emma, you don't think-" Ray looked at Emma with wide eyes, who seemed a little worried herself. "You don't think he thinks this is a date or something?" Ray asked, Emma putting on a sympathetic smile.

"Knowing Daniel, I don't think so. Or he wouldn't have said, 'i_nvite Emma and George_,' right?" Ray shook her head vigorously, urging Emma to continue. "You told him you love the band, so he's being nice by taking you to a show. He's always like that." Emma assured her. Ray leaning back against the couch and sighing.

"But, I do think he likes you." Emma said, Ray popping up again and sitting as if she were on pins.

"Why would you say that?" Ray asked urgently, Emma patting her hand.

"It's not obvious?" Emma asked sadly. Perhaps it was. Ray was too blissfully ignorant to see it.

"The boy's simply not himself when you're around." She put quite simply. Ray took her word, after all, Emma has known Daniel for years now.

Ray stared at her nails, which were neglected and terribly chipped.

"I wanna look hot tonight." Ray stated bluntly, Emma raising her eyebrows.

"For Daniel?"

"No, for Alex Turner." Ray said with a mischievous little grin. Emma laughed, standing as well. "We're getting our nails done. And our hair. And we're going to wear really, really short things." Ray said, heading towards her room.

"Okay." Emma laughed, there was lots of time to get ready before eight, and all that time would be dedicated to looking jaw-dropping.

* * *

"Hello?" Ray answered the phone at exactly eight, Emma gathering her jacket and purse, George had arrived a few minutes earlier and was still trying to gather himself after seeing the little emerald-green dress Emma was wearing.

"Rachel, are you ready?" Daniel's voice came through the receiver, Ray walking towards the elevator, Emma and George at her side. "I'm in the lobby." He added, Ray smiling. Perfect.

"We're coming down now." She said loftily, not giving him a chance to say anything else before hanging up. She stepped in the elevator with her companions, turning to Emma. "Is my dress short enough?" She asked, fixing her short motorcycle jacket and clinging to the cheetah-print clutch that carried her ID and money. The ankle boots on her feet gave her another few inches, she hoped she wouldn't be taller than Daniel. He was a shortish guy.

Emma and Ray visited the hair salon, Ray's hair stick straight, not it's usual perfected messiness, Emma's in a sort of purposely-messy up-do. They both got French mani/pedis and visited lots of clothing stores, Ray's dress a sleek, black, sparkly material, clinging and then falling off her curves, stopping mid-thigh and showing off the legs that she worked hard on.

Emma and George laughed at her question, if Ray lifted her arms, surely everyone would be an inch away from seeing her underwear.

"You look fantastic." Emma said, Ray pouted her red lips as she rechecked her dark make-up in the mirror of her clutch, looking at Emma.

"As do you, love. As do you." Ray said with a smile, the elevator opening on the last floor, Ray taking a deep breath and stepping out first, Daniel looking down at his phone.

Her heels clicking lightly, Daniel's eyes rested on them, then as they traveled up the rest of her body, he fumbled with, and dropped his phone.

"Rachel!" He said, bending down quickly to retrieve his phone and snapping up, Emma and George standing behind Ray.

"Hi, Danny." Ray said with her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow as he struggled to find his words.

"Emma, George." Daniel said in a short breath, nodding to each of them. Emma giggled, leading George around them and out into the night, Ray folding her arms. "You look, really, ah, amazing!" He said, Ray had planned this out.

"Thank you. You look cute, too." She said, running her finger under his chin as she walked past him, he seemed floored. Maybe she looked too hot. She should probably turn down the charm. She hooked his elbow with hers, smiling genially as Daniel laughed tensely, and they walked outside.

Emma and George were kissing next to Daniel's car, but they quickly parted when Ray and Daniel walked up, Ray raising an eyebrow. She chose not to tease, because she could already see the pink forming on Emma's cheeks, and besides, she wouldn't do that to her. They got into Daniel's car quietly, the excitement in Ray building.

"I can't believe we're going to see the Arctic Monkeys! I wanna meet Alex!" Ray said, and Daniel didn't protest when he heard the longing in her voice.

"You will." He said with a smile, Ray looking at him with a grin. How is it, whenever she revealed that she wanted something, he aimed to make it happen? She had to watch him carefully, or Alfonso Cuaron would show up on her doorstep next.

Ray could tell that they had arrived at the show moments later, the place was buzzing with people bobbing around, cars breaking suddenly to avoid hitting them, and Daniel swerved around, looking for a spot.

They usually played at much larger venues, but today the Arctic Monkeys were stationed at a local lounge, it was small and well-lit, the stage no more than four feet off the ground. They were let in, no question about it, they didn't even have to wait in line, and they grabbed a booth easily. The waitress who brought water to their table was shocked to see Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and George Craig, all sitting here like it was nothing. She barely paid any attention to Ray, but gushed over the actors and musician, before finally taking their order.

"Water's fine for me." Daniel said modestly, Ray pouting a bit as the waitress looked to her.

"One of those thingies. With no alcohol." Ray said, pointing to a large pink drink being carried by another waitress.

"Oh, are you American?" The waitress said, now Ray was a little more interesting. "I love your accent." She said, Rachel rather amused by this as the girl disappeared to retrieve their drinks.

The place was beginning to fill up quickly, Ray hoping no one else would recognize her new found friends and bombard them with compliments. Then suddenly, the place erupted as the band appeared, the place was so crowded, they had to stop letting people in.

Ray had to contain herself as Alex stepped up to his mic, the band getting in place, gosh, he was cuter in real life.

"Hello, how's everyone doing tonight?"

Those few words he mumbled into the mic made the room erupt again, even the people at Ray's table couldn't hold this one in.

"Let's get closer!" Ray called to Emma over the noise as she removed her jacket, and Daniel stood to let Rachel out, George sitting back down after letting Emma out.

"You're not coming?" Emma asked the two of them, Daniel shaking his head and George grinning.

"Maybe in a bit." George said, Ray taking Emma's hand and pulling her close to the stage, so they were nearly immediately in front of Alex.

They were in a different world now. Music was easy to understand, dancing was an instinct. As the band began to play the first song from their album _Humbug_, Ray could feel the music beginning to work on her, like a snake to a flute.

She swayed with the crowd, bobbing from side to side to the beat of the drums and the rhythm of the guitars.

_"If you can summon the strength,_

_tow me. I can't_

_hold_

_down_

_the urgency._

_You've got to make your d e s c e n t_

_slowly._

_And oil up those sticky keys._

_Coax me out my low,_

_and have a spin of my_

_pro pel lar."_

The music was so loud, it drowned out all other senses, it was like the only possible thing to do was to dance. However, she didn't forget about Daniel, who possibly watched her as she danced, moving in time to the beat, she knew all of their songs well. She was teasing him, without paying any attention to him, dancing with Emma and keeping a hold of the coy smile on her lips. She sank as the music dropped, tossing her hair as the drums crashed, the words of the song subliminally infecting everyone's minds.

At the end of the song, the room exploded, and they were in the thick of it, Ray felt too good to pay any attention to the pain in her ears. The next song was one of her favorites. More upbeat, and she bounced along to the music, Emma at her side.

_"Your,_

_pastimes, consisted of the strange, and twisted and deranged, and I hate that little game you had called, 'crying lightning,' and how you liked to aggravate the icky man on rainy afternoons. Uninviting, but not as half as impossible as everyone assumes, you are, crying lightning!" _

She cheered along with the crowd and laughed loudly as her and Emma horsed around, their fingers laced. Both her hips and hair tossed to the music, and strategically, she never looked over to their table once to see what Dan was doing.

_"D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S, the most unsuitable pet, it's been long enough, so, let's,  
make a mess,  
lioness,"_

The music consumed them all entirely, Ray was growing impatient now, wondering if Daniel was teasing her as much as she was him, or if he really didn't want to dance. How much longer would he and George sit and watch, if that was what they were doing?

_"Ocean approaching,_

_shield your eyes,_

_potion approaching,_

_visualize."_

Near the end of the song, George had joined Emma, wrapping his arms around her waist, Ray starting to think now; was Dan a bad dancer, was he repulsed, turned on, or just not that interested in dancing? She wished at that moment she could read minds, the fifth song beginning, and Daniel still hadn't come to her yet.

_"The day after you stole my heart,_

_everything I touched,_

_told me,_

_it would be better shared with you."_

She swayed with the crowd once more, wishing that Emma and George weren't so closely knit together at her side, she wished Dan was here, wrapped around her, and by this time, she was now forcing herself to keep her eyes away from the table.

_"I did request,_

_the mark you cast,_

_didn't heal as fast,_

_I,_

_hear your voice in silences,_

_will the teasing of the fire,_

_be followed by the thud?"_

As she watched the band play onstage, she felt a pair of hands close around her waist, and she turned sharply, staring into the pair of blue eyes she'd been waiting for to appear. Her eyes moved across his face, wondering where the hell he'd been, and he seemed to gaze at her with an apologetic expression. He would pay for it, sooner than later. She took his hands, turning slowly so she faced the stage again, their hands still clasped together and her body resting back on his.

_"And the clean coming will hurt,_

_and you can never get it spotless,_

_when there's dirt beneath the dirt,_

_the liar takes a lot less time."_

She swayed with him, his hands moving so they were wrapped around her waist, and she didn't seem to mind at all.

When the music picked up, her body swung like a pendulum to the song, it was like the music made her drunk, his hands running down her thighs, and again, she hardly cared.  
She seemed to sink into him, circling her waist against his in a manner than would make anyone raise their eyebrows. It was all intoxicating, with the sounds of the drums pounding in their ears, their bodies moving rhythmically without consent.

_"If you've a lesson to teach me, I'm listening._

_Ready to learn._

_There's no one here to police me,_

_I'm sinking in,_

_until the return."_

His face was buried in her neck, her hand lost somewhere in his hair, and they moved together, heat forming between the two, the music had possessed their minds. She didn't care as his hands ran over her exposed skin, his body cradling hers, she forgot who she was. She turned in his arms, facing him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and they stood still, eyes locked.

They had stopped dancing, Daniel's hold on her tight. They were dangerously close. This was the part where the snake charmer stopped playing, where the snake stopped dancing and sunk back into her jar. Everyone around them faded back into existence, and Daniel gazed into her face with such an intensity she was frozen. She looked into each of his eyes, and she watched as his eyes flitted between her lips, her neck, and her eyes.

As the song ended, she stepped away from him quickly, rather too quick, because she could see the disenchantment the movement induced in him. Why did he just stand there and look at her like that?

Everyone cheered for the band except for the two, who were stuck in a weird place, the band only played a ten-song set, but it felt like hours had passed between them.

"Aren't they amazing?" Emma asked, sweaty and happy, neither her nor George seemed to notice how uptight their friends were being.

"Let's go backstage!" She suggested, Ray nodding and forcing a smile, not looking at Daniel. That was close, too close. Why had she let herself get so close, then jump back as if she were repulsed by him?

She tried to push the thoughts away as they gathered their things and were easily accepted backstage, her and Emma's fingers laced together, George behind them, Daniel bringing up the rear. George stepped in front of them as they rounded on an open door, the band sitting inside and resting. George rapped on the door, everyone looking up and jeering.

"George, you sonuvagun, come here!" Alex said, standing and embracing George like a brother. Wow. Band buddies.

"Alex, that was amazing!" George said, Ray having an anxiety attack. Alex Turner was just an arm's length away from her.

"Jealous?" Alex asked, wearing a smug grin, George laughing.

"Yeah, just a bit... Oh, hey, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Emma, her roommate, Rachel, and our buddy Daniel." Ray had to keep herself from screaming when Alex looked at her, but she just waved, Alex nodding at each of them.

Ray looked around the room, the band's guitars strewn in various places, against the walls, next to the couches, one on the floor. The room had a dark, orange glow to it, walls a deep red, and windows all across the back wall that revealed an almost black sky.

"George, I didn't know you had a girlfriend, you're-"

"Hermione Granger." Emma laughed, Alex nodding and laughing also.

"Yeah, I guess so, and Harry Potter!" Alex's accent was even less discernible and cuter in real life. Dan nodded, smiling, Alex sitting down on the couch. "Come on then, why don't you guys kick back for awhile? Come on, sit." Alex patted the available couch next to him, looking at Ray. She obeyed, George and Emma occupying the couch on the other side of Alex, Daniel sitting in a chair farthest away from her. Oops, maybe she effed up. But this was so cool, she was sitting next to Alex Turner!

No, she should be more concerned for Daniel.

But now Alex was talking to her.

"Rachel, right?"

"Ray's fine. You can call me anything you want." She giggled nervously, quoting a line from their song "_Cornerstone_." Alex must have found this cute, because he laughed. It seemed like everyone else was absorbed in their own conversations, Ray was glad.

"Okay, Ray, then. Where are you from?" He asked with mild curiosity.

"America. I was born in Chicago, but right now I'm living in Las Vegas."

"Vegas, huh? We were just there last April. Great city."

"I know. I wanted to go to your show, but I was underage then." She admitted, both a bit shy and embarrassed, was this really happening?

"Well, next time we have a show in the States, you'll have to come." Ray sat with her eyes wide, looking around. Someone had lit a cigarette and now they were passing around a bottle of liquor. "You're a really great dancer, you know that?" Alex asked, pouring himself and Ray a glass of red wine, passing the bottle to George.

"Thank you. I'm shocked you noticed." She giggled, taking the glass he was handing her, but not drinking any of it. She wasn't a big fan of alcohol.

"How could you not? You're really good. And cute, too." He said, looking her in the eyes as he gulped down the wine, Ray blushing. She probably looked like crap after all that dancing, cheeks flushed, hair a mess, who knew. Then again, she was wearing pretty slutty clothes.

"Thank you. You're so nice." She couldn't seem to stop giggling, brushing her hair behind her ear in an attempt to look away from the man who's music she craved for years. He laughed, leaning back on the couch, his arm behind Ray. "I'm a really big fan." She said, leaning back also and crossing her legs, chancing a sip from the cup Alex poured her.

"Really?" Alex asked with a smile, Ray nodding with pursed lips.

"The first time I've ever heard of your band was on Saturday Night Live. I just watched and listened to '_I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor_,' and I remember going, 'w_hat the hell is this'_?" They both laughed loudly, Alex nodding.

"That sounds about right. That's the first impression we give everyone." He chuckled, Ray laughing still.

"I mean, it was so catchy! Genius, even. It was hard to deny." She laughed, sipping from her glass.

"Oh, you're too kind... So, that's really the first song of ours you've heard? That's funny." Alex said, bringing his hand up to touch the rings decorating her revealed ear. She bit her lip, looking down at her glass and trying to focus on not letting it slip from her fingers. This guy made her even more nervous than Daniel.

"Why is that funny?" She asked after she found her voice, smiling coyly.

"Because, you're a good dancer!" Alex said, Ray laughing. She knew that's what she was getting to, she just wanted to hear it.

"So," he began, Ray looking up at him with a huge smile on her face. "Do you have a boyfriend or anything of the sort?"

Her smile hadn't entirely faded, but she kept her eyes locked on his as she drank from her glass.

"Mm-mm." She shook her head slightly.

"Fiance? Ex in prison?" He wondered, Ray beginning to laugh.

"Mm-mm." She shook her head again, Alex looking at her through narrowed eyes.

"I'll get it soon, wait," he looked around, and Ray rolled her eyes. She already knew who he was looking for. She hid her face as he nodded towards Daniel, who was chatting with the other band members, and she wondered if he was having any amount of fun. "Him?" Alex asked, Ray turning her nose up and having her glass filled by Alex, who drained half of his almost immediately.

"No." She said after awhile, Alex chuckling.

"Liar." He said, and she cast him a sharp glance.

"Don't call me a liar." She muttered, Alex laughing.

"Oh, come on! I saw you two dancing, tell me you weren't on a date." Alex dropped his voice low enough so only Ray could hear, and she looked at him, then back at Daniel. "Do you like him?" Alex asked, a long silence following this.

"You know, I honestly couldn't tell you." She whispered, Alex resting back into the couch, raising his glass to Rachel, and with a dip of his head, she raised hers as well so they touched, and they both drained them. It was quiet for a long time, only for the silence to be drowned out by Daniel's loud laughs and Emma and George talking next to them.

"I take it back." She watched him, head tilted slightly. "You're not a liar." He said quietly, eyes focused on the wall opposite from where they were sitting, his eyes flickering to hers.

"You just don't know what you want."

Somehow, he got his hands on that bottle again, were they already working their way to a third glass? Ray had never had this much alcohol in her life.

"I think I'd much rather be a liar. That's less frustrating." Ray said solemnly, Alex laughing at her. Soon, she began to laugh, everyone looking at them curiously.

She laughed harder still, letting her head fall back on the couch, covering her face, and that only made him laugh harder, leaning forward, everyone pretending that it was just the wine.

"Your face - is all red," he gasped, out of breath, "You're too cute, you make me laugh."

"Do I?" She asked, and just when she thought she was done laughing, it started all over again. This is kind of where you forget what it was you were originally laughing about.

"Alex, will you take a picture with me?" Ray asked several seconds later, Alex smiling and tilting his head.

"Well, no one's going to believe me when I say that I met Alex Turner. I wouldn't believe me." She laughed, Alex nodding.

Ray opened up her clutch, pulling out her phone and turning the camera on.

"George, can you take our picture?" Ray asked, George smiling as he turned and took her phone. "Count to three." She said, primping her hair, Alex chuckling.

"Okay- oops, sorry, pressed the button on accident." He muttered, the flash going off, Ray rolling her eyes, Emma giggling. "Alright, one, two, three." He said, everyone was watching now, and Ray gasped when Alex turned his head and laid a kiss on her cheek, she didn't dare look at Daniel.

"Alex! How is anyone supposed to tell if that's you? Okay, one more, one more!" Ray insisted, George chuckling, Alex looking pretty satisfied with himself. Ray grabbed a hold of Alex's chin, making sure he didn't turn his head again, in a fit of giggles.

Yet again, the flash went off earlier than planned, and Ray sighed, holding her hand out for the phone.

"Sorry, Ray." George laughed, Ray looking at the picture and smiling widely.

"No, no, I actually like that one! See?" Ray asked, showing it to Emma, George and Alex, who aww!'d, nodded, and laughed respectively. "It'll be my new wallpaper. Thanks, George." She added, noticing Daniel had risen.

"Well, I'd love to stay, but, we have work in the morning." He told everyone in the room, hinting that it was time to leave.

Subtle, Daniel, real subtle.

Emma followed suit, George still planted firmly on the couch. Alex had taken Ray's phone, who tilted her head.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly, Emma attempting to wrench George off the couch.

"I'm putting my number in your phone." He said, Ray's jaw dropping. "So you can call me, you know, if things don't work out the way you want them to." Those few words made more sense than this whole weekend. He held out her phone, and she took it, putting it back in her clutch, she was at a loss for words.

"You really have to work in the morning?" Alex asked, George standing, and now they were all waiting on her.

Ray nodded, looking down at her phone. "I'm the director's assistant." She said quietly, standing slowly, Alex standing as well.

"Well, don't look so glum! I don't doubt we'll run into each other again." Alex put his arm around her, and she looked up at him, smiling. "It was nice to have someone to talk to, besides these wankers." Alex gestured to his band mates, Ray laughing.

"Okay. Until next time, then." She said, accepting his hug and following everyone else out the door, the drive home was undoubtedly quiet, no radio, even.

Ray desperately wanted to know if Daniel was upset, what he was thinking, but never once did she ask. Emma and George were even quiet, cuddled in the seat behind her.

* * *

When they reached the building in which Emma and Ray lived, Emma was quick to get out, George following her.

"See you tomorrow, Emma, later, George." Daniel said, Ray felt anxious, but quickly took the opportunity to see how he was doing.

"Daniel, did you have fun tonight?" She asked, looking to be assured the way a child would from a mother.

"Yeah, of course I did." He nodded, but she wasn't convinced. They hardly talked that night, now that she came to think of it. "How about you?" He asked, and she smiled quaintly.

"One of the best nights of my life. Thank you, Dan." She said, but she still felt really bad about, well, everything. He still didn't seem too convincing, and he was an actor.

Then, Ray leaned over, the leather seats squeaking beneath her, her heart racing. Daniel didn't seem to understand what she was doing, or perhaps the case was that he didn't understand why she was doing it, he even seemed to recoil a little, but she pressed her lips upon his cheek anyway. He watched her apprehensively, and she kept her head down as she exited the car with a,

"Goodnight, Daniel,"

and that was all.


	6. Questions and Answers

**The following morning as Emma and Ray rode to work, **Ray was staring at the picture of her and Alex Turner on her cellphone, Emma glancing over occasionally. No one spoke, which was unusual, because when they were together there was a non-stop flow of chatter. So eventually it was Emma who decided to diffuse the tension and speak first about the things that clearly seemed to be on her roommate's mind.

"So, he really gave you his number?" She was referring to Alex Turner, of course. After George had left last night, Ray divulged the gruesome details of her side of the night to Emma, of how Daniel took her to see her favorite band and she practically ignored him, gushing over the lead singer. Of how she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and he barely reacted. In retrospect, it sounded a lot worse than it actually was and Emma tried to assure her that it wasn't that big of a deal. So Ray was left to her muddled thoughts ever since then, wondering if Daniel would ever ask her out after that.

Ray said nothing for some time, and then, "I guess he did."

"Are you going to call him?" Emma asked curiously.

"I don't think that would be fair to Dan."

"What?" Emma sort of laughed at her which only confused her further.

"I wouldn't call another guy without knowing how he really feels. I mean, we have our theories." She muttered, stowing her phone away in her purse, Emma laughing again. Why was she laughing?

"Theories? Look at the evidence. After last night, I think it's pretty clear he likes you. His hands were all over you." Emma said in a mock-sexy voice, Ray letting out a loud laugh. Emma's been through the same song and dance with Rachel several times already; "Do you think he likes me?" "Could it be?" Even after Emma had assured her that he did, Ray held fast onto her doubts.

"Really though, when we stopped dancing, you should have seen the way he looked at me, Em." Emma seemed to have taken this into consideration, waiting for Ray to continue. "I can't explain it, I've never had anyone look at me like that. I wanted to melt, right there." She said quietly, gazing out the window, her mind concentrated on the intensity in Daniel's eyes. What if that was the last time he would give her that stare?

"Alright, alright. Say he did like me as much as you say he does," Ray began, Emma rolling her eyes. "I just don't see the logic in it, you know? I live in America. He lives here, he's this - HUGE ACTOR! I'm nothing compared to him!" Ray whined, Emma giving her a wry smile.

"You're having trouble accepting who he is, it seems like." Emma looked over, and Ray sat, pouting. She was right, dammit, but Ray wouldn't hear it. She never admitted when someone was right. She would deny it until the end. Then she remembered a bit of information David shared with her before she moved in, something she'd been meaning to ask Emma about, but she kept forgetting to do so.

"Emma, would you happen to know anything about Daniel being upset lately or anything like that?" This seemed to have taken Emma by surprise, because she looked at Ray with a very bewildered expression.

"Erm, upset?" Emma asked, Ray sighing.

"Before I moved in, my Uncle told me to be nice to Daniel because he's been 'down,' but I couldn't figure out what about." Ray mumbled, if Daniel was upset about anything before, he was sure good at hiding it. Damn actors.

"Well, it could be..." Emma began, Ray nodding in fervor, urging her on, "A few months ago, Daniel admitted he was feeling lonely, but he has trouble meeting a nice girl who liked him for who he was, and not just because he has a lot of money... Maybe that's what David meant?" Emma wondered, Ray sitting with her eyebrows furrowed, suggesting that she took this into consideration and was thinking, hard. "Rachel?" Emma asked after sometime, something clicking in Ray's head.

"EMMA!" She yelled, suddenly angry, Emma jumping in her seat, screaming.

"WHAT? Rachel, don't yell like that when I'm driving!" She complained, jerking the wheel so she was back in the right lane, a car swerving around hers.

"I'm my Uncle's guinea pig!" Ray roared, pointing to herself, Emma still trying to recover from her mini-heart-attack. "I think the only reason he brought me here was so I could meet Daniel!" She raved, beginning to get angrier and angrier the more the pieces fit together.

"That's ridiculous." Emma stated blandly, Ray knew she was ready to defend David.

"Nooo, it's not, see," she turned in her seat to face Emma, struggling with the belt. "Why am I here? To be the '_director's assistant_,' but I think there's more to it than that. It was so sudden, so out of the blue, why would he bring me here other than to see if Daniel would like me?"

"Rachel, I don't think he would..."

"Oh, but he would, I think so." She ranted, Emma obviously thinking the whole situation over. "My Uncle is a very manipulative man, Emma, and I'm going to found out what his deal is. He's never a liar, oh no, he tells the truth every single time. He'll tell me what's really going on." She crossed her arms, they were on the lot now, Emma parking in the spot especially reserved for her, the two of them undoing their belts and getting out.

"Would you really want to know, even if that was the truth?" Emma asked, Ray glancing up at her.

"Of course. I love my Uncle no matter what, so I'm just going to lay into him really well this one time, then I'll feel better about it." She said, Emma tilting her head.

"You're crazy." She said in exasperation, Ray nodding in agreement.

"So you've noticed." Ray muttered, Emma laughing.

They broke apart, Ray walking over to David with a frown on her face, sniffling. He looked at her, with an open mouth and hands on his hips.

"Um, hello, who are you? What have you done with my niece? One day without me and you're already falling apart." He teased, analyzing her disheveled appearance and noticing her look of disdain. "Is something the matter?" He asked, it was a question apart from the rest of his statements, in a different, more concerned tone.

"I have a headache." She muttered, shrugging, David laughing.

"Why? Bad night?" He wondered, hand on his chin.

"Quite the opposite. Daniel took me to see this band, the Arctic Monkeys. Emma and George came with us. I got to meet Alex Turner, and we only drank a little." Ray answered.

"Who did, you and Dan?"

"No, me and Alex." She corrected him, and he wore a very judgmental expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded to know, but he chose not to linger.

"You didn't do anything... Indecent, right?" He raised his eyebrows, Ray felt the mad desire to laugh, this was her Uncle she was talking to.

"No! Are you crazy?" Ray asked, David sighing a sigh of relief and clutching his chest. On second thought, maybe she should tell him.

"Although, I did kiss Dan," Ray said with a grin, seeing the disbelief on her Uncle's face. She left out the fact that it was a harmless kiss on the cheek. "And we danced, this close, and I had a dress on, this short!" She gestured with her hands, but David was trying to wave her away as she followed him to the coffee table.

"I don't want to know!" David swatted at her, as he made himself a cup of Joe. "Good lord, your father would murder me." He muttered, he was responsible for her, after all. "What are you going to wear on the second date?" It wasn't meant for her to hear, but she was leaning in close enough to hear.

"Nothing~" Ray teased as her Uncle rolled his eyes whilst taking a sip of his coffee.

"Can't wait." Daniel said laughing as Ray swore loudly and spilled hot liquid everywhere, bits sloshing onto her pants and sneakers.

"Rachel! Watch your language..." David grumbled as he walked away, everyone's heads turning in their direction as Ray turned a bright red, beginning to clean the mess.

"Need some help?" Daniel volunteered, tilting his head smiling, and she looked at him, her expression softening immediately.

"No." She whined, throwing the napkins she used to clean up the coffee away. "Dan, are you mad at me... After last night?" She asked, re-making her cup, Daniel's eyebrows touching. He didn't act coy like she thought he would, but instead rubbed his chin in thought.

"No, not mad. I'll have to admit I was a bit jealous, yeah." Ray looked up at him in shock.

"Jealous?"

"Watching you with Alex, you were completely crazy about him. Taking pictures, laughing, he kissed you."

"Exactly. He kissed me. On the cheek. And who did I kiss?" Ray asked with a raised eyebrow, making Dan a cup of coffee even if he didn't ask for it.

"Yeah, I'm still somewhat confused about that." Daniel said, Ray glancing up at him before averting her eyes. He was standing far too close.

"One, I don't take pictures with you because my Uncle told me it'd be safer to keep that I'm with you a secret."

"With me?" Daniel asked, grinning, Ray sighing in annoyance. "Two sugars, please." He asked, Ray putting them in without any thought.

"_Around you_, whatever. I had four glasses of wine, that's why we were laughing so much. And I can't help it if Alex told me I'm cute." She shrugged, holding out the coffee for Daniel, but he didn't take it.

"He told you you're cute?" Daniel said, raising his eyebrows. Perhaps it was best not to reveal Alex also gave her his number.

"Several times, yes." Ray nodded, shrugging again and waiting for Dan to take the cup from her. He squinted at her and she looked around uneasily but he grabbed his coffee, turning away, Ray following him. "You said I looked amazing." Ray reminded him, yet he said nothing. "That's one better than 'cute'." He stopped, and she nearly bumped into him.

"That's because you do look amazing, even now." He said, Ray looking down at her torn jeans splashed with coffee, dirty Converse sneakers and striped shirt. She looked up at him, and noticed he was looking at her in the same way he was last night, and she frowned. When he just stared at her that way, she felt exposed, not violating, like the way someone looks at you as if they're undressing you with their eyes, this was as if you were already undressed, all your secrets and imperfections laid bare for everyone to see. She wanted to shiver, to hide, but looked around desperately for a distraction.

"I wish you would stop looking at me like that." She said quietly, sipping her coffee for something to do, David calling for everyone to get on set. She looked back at Daniel, who had obeyed her, looking away and taking a gulp of his coffee before handing it to her.

She took it, when she became Daniel Radcliffe's personal assistant, she didn't know, but it was less troublesome than being than her Uncle's.

As he walked over to where the director and other actors on set were huddled, she walked to her seat, setting the coffees in the chair and tried busying herself by reading over the script and fixing the clapper board to avoid thinking about Daniel and his grin, or his stare.

* * *

During their lunch break, Rachel didn't get to talk to Daniel because he was going over his lines for the next scene, so she sat with her Uncle, a few people scattered here or there, but when they were completely alone, Ray took the opportunity to confront David about his little experiment.

She set down her store-bought sandwich, clearing her throat, David looking up from the script at her.

"Emma told me why Daniel was feeling down, Uncle." She said quietly, David's face quite expressionless, but he seemed to be thinking under that hard exterior of his.

"Oh?" He said casually, Ray frowning.

"So, is that why you invited me to England, then?" She began, she didn't want to make any accusations, but she felt she was already leaning in that direction. "Were you trying to set us up or something?"

"No, love, I wouldn't do that-"

"Are you sure?" Ray cut across him, and that seemed to ruffle his feathers a bit. "What's going to happen when this is all over, and I have to go home?" It already hurt her to think about it, no matter how far off it was from now, but eventually, she'd have to leave. This wasn't her reality, her reality was back home, across the ocean and miles away.

"I wasn't trying to 'set you up'." David said, turning a bit red. He was already getting angry. He could be almost as hot-headed as she. "I thought you wanted to become a director, get away from your family for awhile, every time I spoke to you on the phone, you sounded miserable! You're just never satisfied, I see that now." David jabbed, Ray feeling the harsh sincerity in his voice. _'Just don't cry.' _She thought to herself, clearing her throat.

"No, you're right. I'm never satisfied." That much was true, and she could already feel the hot tears forming in her eyes. "And what do you think's going to happen when Daniel sees how _miserable_ of a person I am?"

"Don't get involved with him, then." David suggested, Ray shaking her head and standing.

"It's - already - too late-" She said through her teeth, and she couldn't hold it in anymore, but she'd be damned if she let anyone here see her cry, so she stormed off, she wasn't going to let her Uncle get to her like this.

Where she was going, she didn't know, but then again, she didn't know who she would run into, so she quickly rid her face of any sign of tears, thinking of anything she could do that would make David angry. "_Don't get involved_," he said, so she would do exactly the opposite. She was tired of worrying constantly. As she walked, she ran into Rupert, who grinned at her widely.

"Hey, Rach... What's wrong?" He asked, Ray keeping her head low and shaking it vigorously.

"Nothing. Why would something be wrong?" She asked, Rupert looking at her skeptically and crossing his arms.

"Every time I see you, you always smile at me. And you didn't this time." Dammit. She should work on her acting skills.

"Rupert!" Ray protested, Rupert raising an eyebrow. "I'm impressed you noticed, I'll have to admit." Rupert smiled smugly, Ray holding her arms open. "Me and my Uncle just got into a little spat, that's all it is." She muttered as he hugged her tightly. Rupert was just that comforting, big brother type. He had the arms for great hugs.

"Nothing too serious?" He asked, releasing her, she shook her head.

"Not at all. Thanks, Rupe. You're the best, really." Ray said earnestly, Rupert seemed surprised by this statement, but smiled all the same.

"Anytime, I guess... You smell like coffee." He added, leaning in and sniffing lightly, Ray laughing.

"I spilled coffee everywhere earlier. You didn't catch that?" She asked with a flourish of her hand, Rupert shaking his head.

They began walking, back towards the main set, Ray feeling considerably better then she did ten minutes ago, David looking up at them from a pair of important people, laughing.

"Rupert, just the man I was looking for, come here." David said, Ray looking up at Rupert, who nodded. He picked up the sandwich Ray was eating, Daniel walking into the room simultaneously.

"Can I have some of this?" Rupert asked Ray, who nodded.

"It's yours." She said distractedly, leaving the two to talk and walking up to Daniel, who peered at her curiously, looking away from the script in his hands.

"Hello." He said, Ray reflecting his smile.

"How do you feel? Think you'll be worn out by the end of the day?" She mused, looking over to Rupert, who was now munching on the sandwich she packed for lunch, and David, who was gesturing motions lively with his hands.

"Most likely, why?" He asked, in his Harry Potter clothes. His glasses had no lens in them, Ray touching the frames lightly. It was almost like talking to a different person.

"We should do something on our next day off." She said in one breath, then holding it in as Daniel's face broke into a huge grin.

"Oh really, like a date?"

Dammit. There was something about that word that made her cringe. She nodded slowly and as if it were possible, his grin grew even wider, and she wanted to cover his face with a paper bag, maybe he'd be easier to talk to.

"Rachel Alexandria Sweet, I'd love to go out with you." He said, and she turned red, looking away from him.

"I didn't say '_go out_,' we're just, going, out." She said, Daniel chuckling at her and bouncing around.

"Cut it out, you're so ridiculous!" She whispered, Daniel smiling so widely, she could count his teeth. "We should go to the park, walk around London for a bit?" Ray mused, and he nodded.

"That sounds great, yeah." He said, holding his hands up as David called for regrouping a second time. He looked at her a last time before she went and sat in her chair, Rupert had polished off her entire sandwich.

When the scene had started, David sitting next to her and getting a good look at her to see if she was still angry, he asked, "What are you smiling about?"

* * *

(***To my wonderful, patient readers. I apologize for not updating in almost a year, I know, I'm horrible. I've still had so many favorites and notifications on this story, I can't believe it. So, thank you. I will resume writing as of now, if you wish you can message/harass me about updates, or what you'd like to see happen between Dan/Ray. Reviews are always cool too. I love you guys. :') Thanks!***)


	7. She's Thunderstorms

**The days that preceded were surreal.** When Ray had informed Emma, the over-enthusiasm she exuded was sort of unwanted, and it made her feel ten times more nervous about the situation than she already did.

"OH, Rachel, that is so wonderful, I'm so happy for you!" She cried, Ray wincing at the tone of her voice on the car ride home. You would think they were getting married or something. She could see from Emma's perspective and understand how it could be exciting, but it made her anxious somehow. What if her and Daniel didn't have any chemistry, if he found her boring or lost interest, things would definitely be awkward after that. Or what if they did date, only for the relationship to end horribly months later? What would Emma think then? Surely, she was paranoid. It wasn't expected when Ray first showed up but somehow it was happening. Rachel Sweet was going on a date with Daniel Radcliffe. She mulled this over for quite some time, Emma chattering away about how positive she was they were both absolutely perfect for each other.

"You can't honestly think that." Ray laughed, running her fingers through her hair as Emma nodded.

"Of course I do. You're both alike in a lot of ways."

This bit of information stayed with Ray all the way to the grocery store, where her and Emma picked out ingredients for that night's dinner and other various snacks. She noticed that when they were together, there was just a lot of giggling going on. She started to see Emma as less of a major celebrity (although that fact always sat in the back of her mind, especially when people whipped our their cellphones to take pictures of them at checkout), and she saw her as more of a friend, someone she just really enjoyed being around.

They had worked out a deal; if one person cooked one night, then the other would clean up after, which was fair. The only thing was, was that neither could cook very well so there wouldn't be a lot of that going on in their big, fancy kitchen.

That night they both worked together to make penne pasta with baked chicken, and somehow they pulled it off with a hitch, eating Nutella and peanut butter from the jars for dessert while Emma gossiped to Ray about their fellow crew members.

Living with Emma was fun. She had never been closer to anybody before, but as they retired to bed her mind raced with thoughts of work the next day, and Daniel, and when they eventually arrived at the studio she realized how much working for her own Uncle... Well, _sucked_. He was such a diva about certain things and it was often quite dull.

"_Could you deliver this to the visual effects department? Oh, and tell Jim I need someone to test-run that lift machine, and remind Joseph... _" That was the boring part. Actually working. Not to mention the hours were hell. The more interesting bits were the ones where she watched her Uncle actually direct, he mostly speculated but occasionally he would pull someone aside and have a chat with them about how they should stand, every movement had a purpose.

The studio was always alive and buzzing, people ran around in costume and it reminded her a bit of Halloween, it was very comical on occasion, to see a witch drinking Starbucks or a goblin texting on their cellphone. Ninety-nine percent of it made no sense. Apart from the main set were the hair and makeup department, and the costume, props, audio and visual effects departments, and those were just as crowded and packed with people as the main set. Sometimes music would blare from radios in dressing rooms or someone would scream with delight at the hilarity of a joke, Ray rather loved the place. It reminded her of high school, minus the classes and the mindless drama, but they were like a family. There were people you were glad to see every day, people you knew of, but didn't really know, and you could walk around for months in this place without knowing _everyone_. It was extraordinary.

One of the more extravagant things about work were the moments where she would find herself wrapped in conversations with other actors, Bonnie Wright or possibly Natalia Tena. It absolutely made her insides writhe and although they were brief, she was glad for them. She had spent most of her free time looking over the script, and re-reading it, taking it all in. She was one of the few people who would know what would happen in the last Harry Potter movie months before everyone else, and she wasn't allowed to tell anyone who wasn't one of the few who did know.

She was, however, allowed the luxury to read about what would happen, it seemed Daniel would have to kiss both Bonnie and Emma eventually and she wasn't shocked in the least bit, it rather amused her. Emma was constantly saying how she thought of Daniel as a brother...

It was so important that everything that went on in the studio was kept under tight wraps, the only people allowed to take photos were the cameramen or interviewers that flitted in and out on certain days. Although, after hinting that all the assistant work she was doing was boring her, David had permitted Ray to walk around and take pictures for the movie's scrapbook.

"It's very expensive, so don't screw around with the camera." He informed her, and she stood straight and saluted him. Photography was one of her more favorite subjects. She felt as though she was given a highly critical task, holding the camera in her hands as if it were made of glass, proceeding to take pictures of the cast and crew members, all of whom would stop whatever they were doing at that exact moment to smile prettily for a picture before resuming work.

She made sure to take pictures of David, lots and lots of David, which obviously annoyed him, especially when there was a flash whilst he was mid-sentence, talking to Evanna Lynch. Ray then scampered away, caught in a fit of giggles as she searched for her next target.

"Emma, have you seen Dan?" Ray wondered, Emma placing a finger to her mouth in content.

"Last I saw him, he was in his dressing room going over lines." She spoke, having her hair tugged at by a stylist. Emma was quite obviously Hermione at that moment, her hair in waves, wearing soft-colored clothes, her collar laying flat against her chest. Ray wanted to tell her how pretty she looked but for some reason she just held it in, smiling and wandering towards Daniel's room, feeling Emma's eyes following her as she went. She reached the door with his name on it which was standing slightly ajar, listening to the soft music coming from within and she rapped sharply upon it.

"Yeah!" His voice came, and her heart began beating faster and before she could decide on walking away she forced herself to step inside the room.

"It's just me." Ray spoke in a low voice, and Daniel looked up from his script, wearing a huge smile. For something to do, Ray raised the camera in front of her and quickly snapped a picture, and he didn't protest in the slightest.

"Hey!" He laughed, and her head began to spin. The fact that they worked in the same place, that she could see him whenever she wanted like this was hardly believable. For years she could only imagine what just meeting Daniel Radcliffe for a second would be like. Now she was here in his dressing room with his eyes fixed on her and she couldn't think of anything to say, damn it all.

"I have been entrusted with the duty of taking photographs for the movie scrapbook." Ray spoke in a hearty, playful voice, moving to sit in a chair across from Daniel, crossing her legs and reminding herself to sit straight as he laughed softly.

"So I see." Conversations were never one of Rachel's strong suits, and it was even worse when Daniel sat there looking at her expectantly, she didn't have an excuse for coming here. She needed to think these things out more before she barged into people's dressing rooms.

Rachel sighed and muttered, "Working for my Uncle is no piece of cake," and he seemed to agree almost instantly, shrugging slightly.

"Well, yeah. Welcome to my world." He mused, and she laughed, tilting her head. "What do you think though, mostly? How do you like it?" He asked, and she smiled.

"I love it. I'm so happy he asked me to come here." She watched his reactions, how he moved, how he placed his script to the side and folded his hands, leaning towards her. She just wanted to reach out and touch his face, or take his hand but figured she was in no position to do such things. She thought back to the other night and the way he touched her, held onto her and she figured he must have been thinking about the same thing by the look in his eyes. "Are you glad to be back?" She asked, fiddling with the silver chain around her neck, her foot bouncing in a hyperactive matter.

"Of course! I've never felt more... At home, anywhere else." He said, Ray nodding. All she could do was be stunned by how gorgeous he was, with his slightly mussed-up hair, chin stubble, and round, striking blue eyes. His lips were thin and pink, and his fingernails have been gnawed to the very tips, and as much as she despised fingernail-biting, she couldn't find anything about him unattractive if she tried. Even when they sat in silence like this, she didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. He was so easy to talk to and just be around.

She placed her chin in her hand, watching him watch her for quite some time before he cleared his throat, speaking again. "I'm not scheduled to work tomorrow."

Ray sat in confusion, wondering whatever that could mean before she remembered that their date was to take place on Daniel's next off day. Her stomach did little flips as she realized how soon that was. In practically a few hours, they would be alone together, as they were now. At least this time she could think of things to talk about.

"Tomorrow, really?" There was a pause in which Daniel nodded, rubbing his chin. "Alright, I'll tell my Uncle I'm taking tomorrow off as well." She said, there was no question about it. His face broke out in an agonizingly adorable grin and she smiled. Alone with Daniel. She didn't want to think about it too much, psych herself out and such, but she had a date with the most amazing guy she could think of. "I better get back to work." Ray said, getting up quickly and Daniel did the same, they were standing toe-to-toe. He was simply beaming, and she immediately felt her face flush and she giggled nervously, averting his gaze as she made way for the door, careful not to let her knees buckle underneath her.

"Alright, I'll text you in the morning." He said, and she just gave a half-nod as she exited the room and scurried down the hallway.

Only Daniel Radcliffe could make her feel like an even bigger geek than she already was.

* * *

The next day, sometime around late afternoon, Rachel and Emma were in the living room; Emma on the couch, Ray modeling out her new outfit for her. They had been shopping, of course, it's turned into their new favorite pastime. At the first invitation out for either of them, it was to the boutiques and stores to purchase not one, but several outfits. Emma was going out with George to dinner that same night, so all the more reason to.

Rachel had tried going with a more girly approach this time, convinced that last time she screwed up the whole night entirely, from dressing too revealing to the drive back home. She wanted Daniel to know that she was serious and not some slutty, air-headed fangirl. She wasn't, she was quite the opposite, but the times they have spent together have proved otherwise.

Her dark hair was pinned high into a messy bun, her bangs framing her face and revealing the earrings that were often hidden. Her makeup was still dark, lips stained a bright pink, black gloves keeping her hands protected from the cold outside that was now rattling the windows. A gray pea coat trailed down to her thighs, stopping just past the hem of the bright violet dress underneath. It clung to her every curve, her legs covered in black tights, short ankle boots on her feet. It was very cozy, the only bit of skin showing was her neck and chest, Emma's face screwed up in concentration as she looked at her outfit.

"It's missing something, hold on," Emma stated as Ray stood in the middle of the room with her eyes closed.

As Emma retreated to her room, she heard a lot of rustling, a crash, and the clatter of what sounded like CD-cases as Emma groaned and Rachel opened her eyes in time to see her returning, wearing a big smile and holding a black and white scarf. "Here." She said finally, throwing it around Rachel's neck and wrapping it snugly.

"You look wonderful." Emma sighed as she grasped Ray's hands, nodding in approval. Rachel took deep, slow breaths, feeling ready to either puke or die. Emma looked her own brand of amazing in her midnight-blue dress and black heels, her hair swept into an up-do. Next to her, Rachel looked like nothing, but that was nothing new. Emma looked beautiful in anything and for her it was effortless.

"Thanks, Em... I'm so nervous, what am I gonna do?" She asked, Emma laughing and bending a bit to look her in the eye.

"Everything will be fiiinnne." She reassured her, Ray felt so small and immature in her presence, especially when she was fretting like this, so she took her word for it and went from expressing her worries to pacing the floor, Emma watching a bit of television. British people were so much more laid back than she was used to. In America, dates and boys were a huge deal for someone like her, who actually has never been on one before.

At almost five o'clock, Rachel's phone began buzzing and she nearly jumped out of her skin and yanked it out of her purse, answering it with a tiny, "Hello?"

"Rachel, hi, I'm downstairs.. Are you ready?" Daniel's voice came from the other of the phone, her mind racing, stomach turning, and her heart pulsing like it wanted to run away.

"Of course, I'm on my way down." She said, and they muttered a few awkward words before she hung up, not moving.

"Go on, then." Emma giggled, physically ushering Ray towards the elevator, pressing the button for her.

"I'll see you later tonight, then?" Rachel asked stepping into the elevator, looking back at Emma.

"Maybe, don't wait up for me." Emma called to her, Ray guessing that meant that she wouldn't see Emma until tomorrow morning. It was all well and good enough. She turned her mind back to the boy waiting on the ground floor for her, and she felt faint, her fingers fiddling with the buttons on her coat.

The doors opened and she stepped out, eyes glued to the ground.

'_Be cool. It's just Dan. Just Daniel._' She had already gone out with him once before, if the concert counted at all, but they barely spoke. That was a poor excuse for a date. Today there would be no distractions, nobody else, just them. She wasn't sure if she could handle it, but as soon as she looked up and saw his smile all her troubles dissolved away. She became very aware of herself, the way she walked, slouched, swung her arms, and then she realized she was smiling too. She looked Daniel once-over, he looked dreadfully cute, if that word was appropriate. His look was very simple, and when they stood next to each other they seemed to match almost perfectly.

He wore his leather jacket (which he wore quite often, but Ray didn't mind because she found it _adorable_) over a gray zipped-up hoodie, dark blue jeans and black boots. His hair was tousled in such a way that she couldn't tell if it was deliberate or if he was just so flawless it fell perfectly in place. He hadn't shaved and she was quite glad for it, she rather liked his stubbly chin and it would be odd if Harry had facial hair in one shot and none the next. He was holding a large paper bag, Ray thought this to be rather odd but she didn't think twice about it as of that moment. She practically skipped right up to him, her heart beating madly and she mirrored his wide grin, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Hi." She got out, trying to contain her excitement.

"You look beautiful," Daniel breathed, and Ray blushed madly, looking down at her feet. He moved sharply and she looked up, and he placed a kiss on her cheek that made her smile grow ten times larger. Wordlessly they moved through the lobby outside and a blast of chilly air hit them as the doorman opened the door for them.

"Jesus." She muttered, glad for her warm clothes and he held his arm out for her.

"Lovely weather for a walk." He said, squinting his eyes against the cold and she laughed in agreement, grabbing a hold of his arm and they began walking.

London was so scenic and since all of it was still very new to Rachel, every bit of it was just as impressive as the last. The architecture, the smells, the sounds. The streets were still very packed and busy, people struggling to get home, surely no one would notice Daniel walking around at this hour with some strange girl. It was also smart not to drive, either, for the traffic was moving at a very slow pace.

"Where are we going?" Ray asked curiously, as if some vast adventure awaited them. She used the cold to her advantage, holding as tightly onto Daniel as she could, looking around as they passed shop after shop, taking note of each one; music shop, barber's, secondhand books, bakery.

"There's a park around here. I think you'll like it." He said very mysteriously, Rachel nudging him with her elbow.

"Oh really? Why?" She asked and he started to laugh.

"I can't tell you that, it'll ruin the surprise!" He said with a tiny grin, and after finding it impossible to read his expression, she turned her attention to the paper bag he had been carrying.

"What's in the bag?"

"Bread." He said, and this only puzzled her more, so she just smiled and continued to scrutinize their surroundings instead. They walked in silence for a bit, but it wasn't uncomfortable or strained, but just normal, Rachel had never felt more at ease and she couldn't stop smiling.

The park wasn't far at all, within a few minutes' time they had come to it; it was huge, trees growing here and there, some old, some new, a black path winding throughout. Rachel marveled at the tidiness of it all, the manicured grass and neatly-planted flowerbeds, Daniel tugging her slightly. "Come on, you." He said playfully, and she obeyed as he led the way throughout the park, it was deserted except for them, and the birds overhead. Yellow sunlight filtered through the clouds and leaves and for a fleeting second Ray could feel the warmth on her face before the cold overtook it. Ahead she could see a stone bridge that stretched across a large river, connecting each bank.

All this odd behavior was finally starting to make sense. The closer they got, Rachel could see that the bridge was bathed in light, geese floating atop the sparkling orange water underneath, the bag of bread not so odd to her anymore.

"Oh, Dan." She spoke in awe, and he simply grinned as they walked to the highest point in the bridge's arc, looking down at the water that mirrored their movements, the geese making ripples in the river. "It's so pretty." Ray sighed, Daniel setting the bag on the wall of the bridge and hoisting himself onto it. She merely watched him as he sat on the edge of the wall and lifted the bag into his lap before following suit, lifting herself up as well. From here they had the perfect view of the sunset. "How did you find out about this place?" She asked as he took a small roll and tore a piece off, tossing it into the river.

"Everyone knows about this park, I've never actually been here, though." He said with a shrug as he handed her some bread, and they both threw strips of it down into the river, Ray giggling as the geese swallowed the bits whole. She could see why Daniel would take her here. The simplicity of it all, the quiet. The chance to be alone. As if he could sense she was thinking about him he requested, "Tell me something about yourself."

She seemed taken aback and he watched her expectantly, "I don't really have anything to tell, though..." Daniel didn't seem to take to this response however, and he shook his head.

"I don't believe that. Come on, what was your life like before England?" He persisted as the geese gathered below them to receive bread.

"Okay, okay." Ray laughed, pausing for a moment and thinking about her life back in America. What could she say to him, the boy who had been working in the film industry since the age of ten. That age stuck out to her a lot, mostly because when she was ten, she picked up her first Harry Potter book. "Back home, let's see... I lived with my mother and father, who are both doctors, still together and very much in love after twenty years... They met in college, you see."

Rachel was boring herself with her story, but Daniel seemed to be listening very intently as he sat watching her, and she began to fidget under his gaze, glad that the geese served as a nice distraction from his bright blue eyes, skin reflecting the warm colors of the sunlight.

"It was at an Ivy League school. Dad's English and moved to America to broaden his horizons or whatever. My Uncle always says he thought moving to America was a dumb move, but he met my mother, so it wasn't a complete waste." She laughed, Daniel somewhat grinning and when she looked at him, he looked down at the water. "My mother's Irish - you know - _really _Irish. She had the whole red hair, freckles deal." She tapped her cheek slightly, if you looked close enough, you could see the small amount of light freckles dashed across her cheeks, Daniel leaning in closely and examining them.

"Oh, yeah... My dad's Irish, too." He said brightly, Rachel pretended that she didn't already know of this and tilted her head as he said, "My mum's Jewish."

"Really?" Ray played along, not realizing how close they were sitting and she looked out over the sparkling water.

"Really. Go on." He insisted, and she couldn't help but wonder what was with his fascination of her life's story.

"Well, that's about it. After I was born there came about eighteen years of an average, mediocre life," Ray shrugged slightly, "As average as it can get for a girl like me. During high school I went to an all-girls Catholic school, there's no excitement there."

"Wait, really?" Daniel looked way too happy about that bit of information. "Like with the skirts and Nuns?" He asked, grinning widely, and she rolled eyes.

"Yes," She laughed, "it was horrid. To make end of a painfully boring story, both of my parents are geniuses and I just don't feel that I am, so I tried to look for other options besides being thrown into college. Which is why coming to England was so great for me, you see."

"I don't think it's as boring as you think, though." Daniel said matter-of-factly, Ray grunting. It certainly was. There was a pause, and she took this opportunity to turn the attention towards him.

"What about your parents? What's your mum like?" She asked, and Daniel seemed surprised by this question.

"Not many people ask my about my mum. Which is a shame because she's the sweetest person I know." He began, Rachel smiling genially and tossing what was left of the bread into the river. "I love her, and she supports literally everything I do." She could hear the sincerity in his voice and longed for that relationship with her parents.

"I wish my mum supported me. My parents don't think there's much stock in being a director, they don't understand art the way my Uncle does, or you." Rachel sighed, Daniel smiling and wearing an all-too-understanding expression. "You're so lucky. You can do anything you want, no one will ever tell you no." That sounded nice. Daniel seemed to mull this over for awhile, licking his lips and folding his hands, setting them on his leg and then he gave sort of a nod. He looked so adorable when he was thinking.

"I guess when you say it like that, yeah. Yeah, I guess so... Then again I wish sometimes I was like everyone else, like, average." He gestured with his hands and Rachel tilted her head in confusion. She began to wonder why he would ever want something like that, but again as if he could read her mind, he voiced his thoughts. "I've lived more than half of my life as Harry, and I feel like sometimes it's just, too much. I can't just go, to a normal school. I can't go out without someone wanting to take my picture. Dating is a hassle-"

Daniel stopped, Ray stifling a laugh as a goose flew and landed on the stone wall they were sitting on, waddling closer to the paper bag to search for more bread. "Sorry. You're right. I would hate that too. I can't stand being around people a lot of times. It's just nice to be alone and, read, or listen to music." She said, her voice wavering as she watched the goose rip open the bag, dropping it down into the lake and diving in after it, where the other geese proceeded to tear it apart.

"Exactly." Daniel mused, watching the geese as well. "I love acting, just not everything it comes with." Rachel took this opportunity to watch him instead, studying his expression from the close range and she could see how much this all had been bothering him. He must have wanted to tell someone, anyone, for a really long time. She was so lucky that he wanted to go out with her, take her to do things, confide in her the way he did so often, spoke to her with ease.

She was glad he decided to tell her.

Then they were both quiet, facing the now setting sun and Rachel scooted closer to Daniel, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You know, Dan," She began, placing her hands in his, gripping them tightly, "I'm really glad I met you."

The bright sky streaked with orange and red began to fade into a deep blue as the sun disappeared and clouds began to form, hanging low overhead. She wasn't sure how long they sat like that, despite the cold stinging their cheeks and the geese retiring to bed. They just sat in silence and one by one, lamps all around the park flickered to life and Rachel's eyes followed one to the next, Daniel's face resting on top of her head. Only when she felt a raindrop on her cheek did she come back to reality, looking up and touching her hand to her face.

"We better get going." Daniel said in a wary voice, and he squeezed her hand before moving off the wall. She scooted over to the edge, Dan standing before her and wrapping his arms around her middle. She watched him, stuck somewhere between curiosity and amusement and he lifted her from the wall with surprising ease and set her gently on her feet.

"Thanks." Ray laughed, her hands settled on his shoulders. He was warm, even in the midst of the cold she could feel him, standing close to each other as she gazed into his blue eyes that shone through the dim light. She began to feel an uneasiness as his eyes wandered over her face; her eyes, her nose, lips. She felt self-conscious, because she felt exposed.

She moved her hands down to her side, grabbing one of his and looking up at him through her eyelashes and he smiled widely, turning and leading the way. They navigated through the park the way they came, the rain a mere drizzle, but by the time they reached the main streets it fell a little harder.

"Would you like to go in there? They have great hot chocolate." Daniel gestured to a little cafe across from where they were standing, Rachel nodding sharply. She loved the rain, but it was freezing and hot chocolate sounded like heaven at the moment. They cut across the road and entered the shop, which, to Rachel's relief, was empty. She had never cared more about whether people were around but ever since she started going places with Emma, or Daniel, it certainly made a difference.

"Excellent." She said, brushing her bangs from her face, looking at Daniel who chuckled. He was such a by-the-book gentleman, pulling out and pushing in chairs. Instead of sitting across from her like she expected he would, he sat to her immediate left, which made her tense up, but she just smiled and played with her earrings as if it didn't bother her.

In two seconds the only worker in the coffeehouse came and left, Daniel ordering two hot chocolates and watching Ray with a silly grin on his face as he leaned forward onto the table. She avoided his gaze and looked around the dimly lit room, removing her gloves and sliding her jacket off, adjusting the neckline of her dress that exposed her shoulders before placing her hands in her lap. It was warm here, lights hanging low over the tables, sweets sitting behind glass, the rich smell of coffee embedded in all the dark, wooden furniture.

Rachel looked back to Daniel, who was staring, open-mouthed at her, and she felt a twinge of panic. "What? Is there something wrong?" She spoke, hands reaching to touch her face and hair.

"No, no, nothing's wrong." He brought his hand up to meet hers, pulling it away from her face and he shook his head, blinking several times and looking down at the table. "It's just, you're really beautiful." He looked back up at her, still holding her hand and she scoffed. The sound she made was disbelieving, and harsh, withdrawing her hands and placing them back in her lap, but he didn't seem too amused. "I'm being serious." He ran his hand down the length of her arm and took up her hand again, and she didn't know what to do but to let him. She brushed her hair behind her ear with the hand that wasn't now in Daniel's grasp, and before she knew it their fingers were entwined, the feeling becoming less and less strange to her by the second.

"You know, no one's ever said that to me before." She laughed nervously, her heart fluttering. He touched her, a lot, and sometimes she believed he really did like her... That he wanted to be with her... Then again, she could just be imagining things.

"No one?" Daniel wondered, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand lightly. Did he really have to be so intimate? Rachel bit her lip and shook her head, Daniel's look of confusion seemed all too sincere. Then again, he was an actor. "No boyfriends, no, no one?" He asked as she continued to move her head from side to side. He seemed unable to comprehend this fact, tilting his head as she pursed her lips and pretended to act interested in the ceiling.

"You're telling me, you've never had a boyfriend." Daniel said, Rachel sighing. She figured this was what he was getting to.

"Nope, never, I went to an all-girls school, remember? I didn't have much of a social life, either, my parents wanted me to focus on my schoolwork."

"You poor thing." Daniel laughed, he was actually _laughing_at her. She began to laugh too, as unfortunate as her situation seemed, it could have been worse. "Well, I'm glad David invited you to come here. Now you're seeing the world, helping make movies, going to concerts-"

"Going out on dates with Daniel Radcliffe." Rachel tossed in casually, and they burst into laughter, the lone waitress placing their cups of piping hot chocolate in front of them, whipped cream piled high on top. They thanked her and she disappeared again, neither of them releasing the others hand as they raised the cups to their mouths.

"Oh, this is amazing." Daniel gasped after taking a sip, Ray giggling. He was adorable. Even more so when he had whipped cream on his face.

"You've got a bit of..." She gestured to the cream on his cheek and after unsuccessfully trying to lick it off, both of his hands full, Rachel set her cup down. "Erm, here." She offered, grabbing a napkin and raising it to his mouth, wiping the cream off gently.

She had been watching his expression, fascinated by the color of his eyes, the shape of his lips. At times she became overwhelmed by his sincerity, his passion, he was a person filled with love and he loved to make people laugh. He was someone she aspired to be like but could never find it in herself to get there. He had achieved so much in his twenty-odd years and what had she done? The highly-privileged niece of a film director that was more than lucky to just be in his presence. She set down the napkin, moving her hand to his hair, fixing the stray strands so they fell in place with the others.

How they had become so attached to each other in just a matter of three weeks was beyond her. He seemed so open to her. The way he grasped her other hand in his and raised it to his lips, pecking it softly. Her head was spinning again, her cheeks turning red and for something to do she took a large gulp of her cocoa, which blistered his tongue on the way down. After awhile all that could be heard was the heavy rain outside and the frequent clatter of dishes until it was Daniel decided to speak again.

"So, technically this is your first date, ever?" He asked, Rachel nodding indefinitely. He gave a low whistle, and she felt almost embarrassed until he said, "I'm sorry, I should have stepped up my game a little more tonight."

She found this hilarious, however, as far as dates went, she wasn't sure what to expect. "No, I promise you this is one of the best days I've had, so far." They both laughed, and things seemed to lighten again before Daniel proceeded on with the next question.

"Are you Catholic, then?" He asked after drinking from his mug, Ray admired that he would just ask, whatever was on his mind at that moment.

"No, I mean... I grew up around it, but still... I pay very little attention to it." She shrugged, Dan making a motion between a nod and a shrug.

"Same here." He said, now shaking his head and gulping down more cocoa. After this bit of mutual agreement, things got quiet again, Rachel now spurting out whatever came to her mind.

"I read this, erm, article about this scientific study, that said atheists have better sex lives than religious people, isn't that interesting? Although, who could ever know that ever, right?" She laughed nervously, Daniel peering at her curiously. "Like, how do you find something like that out, is there like, some scale? I just thought it was funny since we're both atheists-" She gestured between them, Daniel covering his mouth and raising his eyebrows at her, "Not that I was implying that our sex life would be better than- Not that we, you know, have a sex life- You know what, I'm just going to stop talking now." Her voice trailed off, Daniel leaning back in his seat and laughing loudly. She covered her face which was currently beet red, but let out a few chuckles in spite of herself.

After they finished laughing, the waitress came back and set the bill on the table, she seemed annoyed, perhaps it was the late customers now currently drinking cocoa. "We're closing in a bit." She informed them, walking away again and they looked out the windows towards the rain, which was coming down harder than ever, before looking back at each other.

"Do you want to chance it?" Daniel asked, wearing a concerned expression.

"We don't have much of a choice." Rachel said with some mild amusement. "I only live down the street." She reasoned, slipping on her coat.

"Yes, I know, but I don't want you to get sick." He said simply, putting his coat on and reaching deep in the pocket of his jeans for his wallet. He reached into the other ones, his front pockets, his back, Rachel watching him as if it were such an odd thing to behold. He checked his coat pockets before repeating the ritual at least three more times, looking quite frustrated. It was the first time she had ever seen him look so cross. "This is bullocks." He muttered, Rachel leaning in slightly.

"What is?"

"I think I lost my pocketbook." He said flatly, Ray sighing.

"That's horrible." She said, and he obviously was trying to remember what in the seven hells he did do with it, so she didn't bother asking. After a few minutes of muttering and swearing, Rachel placed a hand on Daniel's. "Don't worry, I'll get this one." She said, reaching in the pocket of her coat and pulling out her wallet. He seemed like he wanted to protest, but they didn't have much of a choice. "I'm sorry, Dan, that's awful." She said after placing the money on the table and watching the expression on his face.

"It's fine." He dismissed the subject with a wave of his hand and smiled at her reassuringly. It took a few moments before both of them exited the cafe and they stood in the doorway, the sound of rain resonating in their ears. They looked towards one another a second time, Rachel taking his hand and having her smile reflected back at her. "You ready?" He asked with a small grin, and she nodded, inhaling sharply before they ran into what almost felt like a waterfall coming down on them.

It was hard to see, their hands connected, the rain had made it even colder than it was before. It was ruthless, but they laughed nearly the whole way back to the apartment, Ray couldn't seem to stop giggling even as they reached the doorway of the lobby. Cars sped past on the street and splashed more water back onto the sidewalk, rain fell, everything was alive and they were frozen in the entrance way, staring at each other.

The doorman suddenly appeared and Rachel gave a start, "Do you need a taxi, sir?" He was holding an umbrella, Daniel nodding before he disappeared to stand next to the street, and they looked at each other again.

"I'm sorry about your wallet." Was all Ray could think of, Daniel smiling so widely she was sure he didn't care anymore. "I had such a wonderful day."

Wonderful wouldn't even begin to cover it, but she just couldn't find the right words with him standing so close. She could see the drops of water on his eyelashes, hanging from the ends of his hair, clinging onto his skin. He was holding onto her, and she wished she could think of more to say. She wondered if there was supposed to be a kiss, she was new to this sort of thing, her mind racing all of a sudden, her heart pounding, but that could be from the sprinting they did. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to kiss him. Even with him standing so near, the possibility of a kiss seemed so far away.

"Sir?" The doorman asked, having successfully lured a taxi to their side of the road and Rachel exclaimed.

"Here, let me give you the money," She grabbed her wallet again and pulled out a bill, handing it to him.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel, I'll pay you back tomorrow, I promise-" He began but she shushed him.

"It's alright, really. Don't mention it again." She threatened, putting the bill in his coat pocket, and he just smiled. "Thank you, Dan." She said quietly, and he just watched her with an skeptical expression.

"For what?" He asked, amusement playing across his face.

"For taking me out on the best first date any girl could ask for."

He seemed to ponder this, and she stepped away as he just watched her, almost sad-like. She put her wallet back into her coat pocket, and neither of them moved for some time before the taxicab driver beeped the horn of the car lightly.

"I'll see you at work, tomorrow, alright?" She said, gripping his hands tightly. He nodded, still watching her with a fixed gaze, he looked like he wanted to say something else, but he turned and moved slowly towards the cab.

"Goodnight, Daniel!" She called, and he paused with one leg inside of the taxi, turning around to watch her in the doorway.

"Goodnight. Sweet dreams," He said with a dip of his head. There was another pause, and he smiled before getting into the cab and shutting the door. She waved at him with a flutter of her fingers, turning and walking into the building as the doorman held the door open for her with a wink.

Her large smile lasted all the way across the lobby and up the elevator, where she leaned against the wall, giggling and sighing, replaying the whole day over and over in her head. Daniel was truly something else. She went to bed thinking about him, woke up thinking about him, and then eventually she began to think:

She wanted him in her life desperately and wondered if possibly, maybe, he wanted her in his too, although part of her felt that she already knew the answer.


End file.
